Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Spaghetti Bolognese – or Spaghetti with Meat Sauce – is a hearty family favourite. And with my Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese recipe there is no need to miss out if you are vegan, vegetarian or trying to cut back on the amount of meat that you eat.

Updated April 2026.

Tips for Making This Recipe

I used passata or seived tomatoes for my Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese as they are is a quick, easy, budget-friendly alternative to using fresh tomatoes.

You can use any vegan or vegetarian mince – I often use Quorn, a meat substitute made from Mycoprotein, a member of the fungi (mushroom) family. It has a similar texture to mince (ground beef) and easily picks up the flavours of anything you cook it with or in. However the fact it contains egg makes it unsuitable for vegans, and some people are allergic to the ingredients in Quorn, so you may prefer to use another vegetarian or vegan mince or ground beef substitute. Any variety I have tried has worked very well.

I like to use Porcini mushroom stock cubes or mushroom stock cubes for the stock component of this Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese recipe, however if they are not available, vegetable stock cubes work very well too. Just be sure any stock cubes you use are vegetarian.

Very Lazy Garlic (not sponsored, just sharing!) is a quick and easy alternative to fresh garlic – I use either the chopped or crushed version and it always works out perfectly. The beauty of Very Lazy Garlic is that it stays fresh in the fridge for a number of weeks. Often the fresh garlic I buy in the shops is already past its best and even if I can find fresher bulbs of garlic it takes me too long to use them and they go off. With Very Lazy Garlic I can just open the jar and spoon out what I need (1 teaspoon per clove of garlic) plus there is no peeling or chopping!

While this Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese sauce doesn’t have the beefy flavour of the original, it’s got a great texture and a rich, deep Italian flavour. My Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese is a great alternative when you fancy a hearty spaghetti dish but need or prefer to eat meat-free!

Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese – Printable Recipe

Created by: April J Harris

Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese

Course Main Dish

Cuisine British

Servings 4

A hearty version of the meaty original, my Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese is delicious, nutritious and easy to make too!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon mild olive oil
• 1 large red or white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons Very Lazy Garlic or 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 12 ounces fresh Quorn mince or your preferred fresh vegetarian mince from the chiller cabinet
• 3 to 4 cups passata, sieved tomatoes or tomato sauce (you may not need it all)
• 1 Porcini mushroom stock cube or vegetable stock cube
• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
• 14 ounces spaghetti
• Vegetarian Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
• Sauté the onion and red pepper for about five to seven minutes or until they begin to soften.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for a moment or two.
• Stir in the Quorn mince along with 2½ cups of passata (sieved tomatoes) or tomato sauce.
• Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water and add to the sauce.
• Add the basil, oregano and pepper, stirring thoroughly.
• Bring the mixture almost to the boil and then turn back and simmer for five minutes.
• At this point you need to check the texture of the sauce. If you like your sauce very ‘sauce-y’ you will want to add some more sauce a bit at at time, until it reaches the consistency you like.
• Simmer, uncovered while you cook the spaghetti in the boiling salted water according to package directions.
• When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and divide between four warmed plates.
• Serve with the Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce and shaved Parmesan.

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