The Best Vegan Bolognese Recipe (UK Ingredients)

A good bolognese is the first recipe every new vegan needs to nail. This version uses either soya mince or lentils for the “meat”, and it is genuinely hard to tell the difference from the original. Everything here is available in any UK supermarket.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500g spaghetti or any pasta
• 300g dried red lentils OR 400g soya mince (Tesco Plant Chef, Aldi Plant Menu, or similar)
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 sticks celery, finely diced
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 vegetable stock cube (most UK brands are vegan — check yours here)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or Henderson’s relish (the vegan Worcestershire sauce)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper to taste

Method

1. Sauté the base. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 6–8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add the protein. If using soya mince, add it now and stir for 2 minutes. If using lentils, rinse them under cold water first, then add.
3. Build the sauce. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, crumbled stock cube, oregano, basil, and soy sauce. Stir well. If using lentils, add 200ml water as they will absorb liquid while cooking.
4. Simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes (lentils) or 15 minutes (soya mince). Stir occasionally. The sauce should be thick and rich.
5. Cook the pasta. While the sauce simmers, cook your spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain, keeping a mugful of pasta water.
6. Combine. Toss the pasta into the sauce. Add a splash of pasta water if it’s too thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Tips

A splash of red wine added after the vegetables softened makes this even better. Most red wine is vegan in the UK now, but check our alcohol guide to be sure. For a cheesy finish, grate nutritional yeast over the top — it has a naturally cheesy, savoury flavour and is available in most supermarkets and Holland & Barrett.

Get nutritional yeast on Amazon →

Storage

Keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days. Freezes well for up to 3 months. The lentil version freezes better than soya mince.