The easiest One Pot Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese. It's ready in under 20 minutes, and everything cooks in one pot, even the spaghetti! Dinners don't get easier than this, and there's hardly any washing up!
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I love a really good, slow-cooked Bolognese sauce, but sometimes speed and convenience have to take priority in our dinner-making decisions. And that's where this One Pot Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese comes in.
Inspired by my Vegan Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese, this easy stovetop meal is quick, simple, cooked all in one pot, involves minimal effort and washing up, and is hearty, delicious, and family-friendly. Perfect for throwing together when you get home after a long day at work.
I love to serve this easy vegan bolognese with Vegan Garlic Bread and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan!
Love easy, all-cooked-in-one-pot pasta meals? Check out my vegan hamburger helper, baked vegan orzo, and vegan pumpkin pasta recipes, too!
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Vegan ground beef - You can use whatever brand you have access to or enjoy. I use either Yves Veggie Ground Round, Beyond Vegan Ground Beef, or Gardein Ground Be'f. Depends on what's on sale! You can use cooked green or brown lentils instead (not red), but your bolognese won't be quite as flavourful.
- Spaghetti - This recipe has only been tested with regular dried spaghetti. I think it should be fine with other types of pasta, but there is a chance the sauce thickness/texture could be affected.
- Italian seasoning - Or any mix of dried herbs that you enjoy in your Bolognese. Oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram all work well.
- Sugar - Used as a seasoning. It balances the acidity of the canned tomatoes and creates a more rounded, complex flavour. Important because the sauce isn't simmering for a long time to reduce and develop flavour.
- Better Than Bouillon or stock cubes - You can use either of these (I love Better Than Bouillon No Beef for the best flavour), or you can use cartons of stock instead of the water and omit this.
- Crushed tomatoes - Or passata. This creates a nice, thick, rich sauce. I don't recommend using diced canned tomatoes instead. They are treated with calcium chloride so that they hold their shape and don't break down. You won't get a nice, thick, rich sauce if you use them.
Recipe
One Pot Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
Author:Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 2 medium carrots , diced
- 1 pack vegan ground beef , sizes vary but about 340 to 450g (12 to 16oz), OR use 2 cups of canned/pre-cooked green or brown lentils NOT RED)
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste/puree
- 1 x 28oz (798 ml) can crushed tomatoes , (use passata in the UK).
- 4 cups (960 ml) water , or 3 cups water and 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon cane or white sugar
- 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon , or similar bouillon paste or Marmite, or 2 stock cubes
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1lb (453 grams) dried spaghetti
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Let it warm up, then drizzle in the olive oil, along with the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent.
- Now add the vegan ground beef (if using lentils instead leave them out for now). Cook for a couple of minutes until the “meat” is browned then add the garlic and tomato puree and let them cook for a minute, stirring frequently.
- Add everything else except the spaghetti, give it a good stir, turn the heat to high and allow it to come to a gentle boil.
- Once boiling, add the spaghetti to the pot, fanning it out as much as possible. Let it soften a little, then submerge in the sauce. Turn the heat down enough to keep it at a gentle simmer.
- Cook for about 12 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom. You will need to stir more as it starts to thicken towards the end. The sauce starts off very watery. That's necessary because this is a one-pot recipe, and the pasta needs to cook in the liquid. By the time it's finished cooking, the combination of absorption, evaporation, and thickening from the starch in the pasta will make it just perfect.
- As soon as the spaghetti is just tender with some bite still left, turn off the heat and put the lid on. Let it sit like that for 5 minutes. During this time, the spaghetti will become more tender and the sauce will thicken.
- Give it a really good stir, then serve. It will continue to thicken as you stir and serve it up.
NOTES
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NUTRITION
Recipe FAQs
I haven't tested this recipe with gluten-free spaghetti, but as long as it takes the same amount of time to cook as regular spaghetti (8 to 10 minutes), then it should be fine. You will also need to be sure to use gluten-free vegan ground beef (or cooked green/brown lentils).
Irene R DeGroot says
It was delicious but a little dry. How would you make it more moist?
Melanie McDonald says
Hi, Irene. It should be really saucy. Neither myself or any of my recipe testers ever found it dry. Some trouble shooting tips: Did you use exactly the right amount of spaghetti? You can't increase the quantity in this recipe because it's directly linked to the amount of liquid added. Any more than stated and it would become less saucy and potentially dry. Also did you turn off the heat as soon as the spaghetti was just tender with some bite, and let it sit with no heat, to finish cooking as per the instructions? That step is crucial. If you let it cook longer over the heat then the spaghetti would absorb more moisture and more evaporation would take place. To rescue it if anything does go awry though, just add a drop of boiling water to thin the sauce. Hope that helps!
Tracy L says
Delicious, easy and so flavorful. Thank you!