Vegan bolognese with tagliatelle

Vegan bolognese with tagliatelle

vegan bolognese lunch

Our last few months have been all about changes and the journey is still far from complete… We moved all the way across Europe, from a quaint Greek island to a buzzing mid-size town, we are about to move to a new house this week and Duncan is going back to work soon.

We are both excited about Duncan’s new job. Don’t get me wrong, we are still on talking terms 😉 , but despite the fact that we generally get on well and have a similar vision for the blog, working together as a couple is still quite challenging.

On one hand, we both know that we are super lucky to have found a partner with whom we have shared ethics in common and it’s definitely been very bonding to have come up with the idea for the blog and to slowly grow it from nothing to a fairly large website.

We understand (for the most part) each other’s job challenges, pressure points and little niggles like no one else does. Like me having a mini meltdown over not being able to find the exact ingredient I need for my photoshoot or Duncan losing his temper (big style, involving a fair amount of swearing and sometimes even kicking) at an inanimate object – his computer – for insubordination were just some of the things we have had to OCCASIONALLY witness each other do 😛 .

But working so closely and intensely together also means that you tend to take on each other’s stress way too easily. Plus, you spend way too much time together as co-workers and talking about work tends to bleed into your leisure time together if you aren’t too careful.

Duncan also misses proper programming and being able to talk shop with his colleagues and, as much as I try, I am not really fit for this purpose. On a flip side, he is also not that keen on discussing which napkin will be better suited for the photoshoot I’m preparing for and when he is around, I find it hard not to involve him, especially that I am a very lousy decision maker.

When we started the blog we never appreciated how having separate careers (as well as a separate work and living environment) is actually quite good for the soul and for you, as a couple. Plus, it’s not like we had a choice anyway.

I still need to devise some strategies to keep my life and work more separate as I will continue working from home for the foreseeable future, but Duncan going to work every day will definitely help us restore some much needed balance!

Plus, he is bound to have some funny stories from work to share with me over dinner and I will be able to tell him about my and Tina’s antics too (PS: pssst, but we are planning on having some quality girly time now that Duncan is off working involving long naps, watching daytime TV in our PJs and watching the birds through the kitchen window 😉 ).

Today’s dish is another riff on a classic – vegan bolognese served with tagliatelle pasta. It’s easy to make, freezes well, it’s super filling and comforting too! I don’t know about you, but in this cold and blustery weather when even Tina cannot be tempted to go outside, all I crave is vegan comfort food, cups of spicy ginger tea and cat cuddles 😛 .

vegan bolognese mire poix

vegan bolognese sauce

vegan bolognese portion

serves
4-6
PREP
15 min
COOKING
60 min
serves
4-6
PREPARATION
15 min
COOKING
60 min
INGREDIENTS
VEGAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE

  • 25 g / 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1½ cups natural dry soy mince (TVP)*
  • 1 vegan stock cube
  • 2 tbsp / 30 ml olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 1 long celery stalk, very finely diced
  • 2 small carrots, very finely diced
  • 1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped finely
  • 1/3 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • approx. 1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
  • 1 cup / 240 ml vegan red wine
  • 1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes, adjust to taste
  • 1 tsp Italian mixed herbs
  • 2 x 400 g tins quality chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp sugar (optional, adjust to taste)
  • black pepper, to taste

REMAINING INGREDIENTS

  • fresh parsley, to garnish
  • vegan hard cheese, to garnish
  • 400 g dry tagliatelle (GF if required), cooked
METHOD
  1. Put a kettle on. Place rinsed porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and soy mince in another, larger one.
  2. Once the water has come to the boil, cover the porcini with hot water to create a porcini infusion and dilute a stock cube in 1½ cups (360 ml) of hot water and pour it over the soya mince. Set aside for later.
  3. Heat up olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add diced onion and sauté on a low heat for a few minutes. Add chopped garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes and finally add diced celery and carrot. Sauté, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes or so.
  4. Remove rehydrated porcini from the water (do not throw the infusion away) and dice them very finely.
  5. Add diced porcini to the pan, together with chopped rosemary, smoked paprika, nutmeg and 1 tsp of salt. Stir well for a minute or so.
  6. Add wine and allow it to bubble gently for a few minutes so that the harsh taste of alcohol cooks out.
  7. Add tomato paste, chilli flakes and Italian herbs to the pan together with both tomato cans, the porcini infusion and about 1 cup (240 ml) of water (I like to rinse my cans with it first).
  8. Allow the sauce to bubble on a low-medium heat until the tomato chunks have broken down and the excess moisture has cooked out (about 30 minutes). If the excess moisture cooks out yet the tomatoes are still largely in chunks, add another cup of water and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Remember to give the sauce a good stir from time to time to ensure that the middle of the pan (where the heat is the most intense) does not burn.
  9. Add rehydrated soy mince, allow it to warm up in the sauce and season with more salt if needed, sugar (if needed) and black pepper.

NOTES
*I recommend making sure that your soy mince is non-GMO. My research revealed that a lot of frozen soy mince is GMO (or else they would explicitly state that on the packet) so I went for a dry soy mince by a company called Essential Wholefoods that I found at a local health store.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
432
22%
sugars
4 g
5%
fats
7 g
10%
saturates
1 g
5%
proteins
18 g
36%
carbs
68 g
26%
*per serving
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5.0
6 reviews, 18 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Anna:
Very tasty! I cant believe it but my heavy meat-eater husband that doesn't eat anything I make liked it :) Id add a bit of soy sauce for the depth!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Anna! I’m delighted to hear that it went down well and many thanks for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. Ania
      Anna:
      No worries :)) Just making it again now...must be 5th time :D
        Ania
        Ania:
        Great to hear, enjoy! x Ania
Deanna Seiple:
How did you find vegan tagliatelle? I miss the egg pastas so much!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hmm, not sure what you mean - I bought it in a supermarket, lots of dry pasta is vegan. Ania
Kari:
So good! I made this tonight and I’m so full but still want more. I made two changes-TVP gives me mad gas, so I baked seasoned crumbled tofu and I added a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end of cooking to brighten it up. I saved my reconstituted porcinis from yesterday’s bourguignon. I froze two dinners from last night & will freeze this sauce as well. I’m a flight attendant, so being able to have nutritious, vegan meals to bring with me is awesome!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that my recipe is helpful, Kari. And I imagine it will taste better up high ;) Thank your or lovely feedback! Ania
Tanya:
Oh my god I just found your blog! Your photos are beautiful and your food looks spook good!! And I love cats and vegan food so I can't wait to read everything!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Tanya! I'm so please you found it too, hope you'll enjoy cooking with me :) Ania
All That I'm Eating:
This looks so good, I'd love to give this a try. Would it work as well with Quorn mince?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi. I've never tried it (it's not vegan as far as I know), but I don't see why not. Ania
Denisse:
so did you make vegan tagliatelle pasta?
    Ania
    Ania:
    No, I didn't, I'm afraid. It's store bought. Hope that helps! Ania
Claudia:
Holy Wow!!! This was the most authentic tasting Bolognese Recipe I have made in years. I cannot stop drooling over and dreaming of this. I doubt anything will ever compare to it. Thank you for this gem of a recipe.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you so much, Claudia! I am so chuffed to hear that you enjoyed it so much! x Ania
Andreya:
Hi Ania, it looks so delicious and yummy!!! I like vegan bolognese can't wait to try this one.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, hope you'll enjoy it! x Ania
Dani:
I put lentils in my vegan bolognese so it looks like minced meat!
felix thommen:
nice, we wil try. we are right now in Finikounda, and I burnt the spare wood from the olive trees. We do not eat animal protein for months now and feel great. we enjoy your recipes very much
kind regards,
felix and susanne
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Felix,
    Thank you for your kind words! I'm so glad you are moving away from consuming animal protein and super glad to hear that you are feeling the benefits of it already. I've had similar experience when I kicked this habit! Ania
Julia:
Oooo! This looks very yummy. So pleased to hear that your search for a welcoming home for Tina has finally been successful. Our dear kitty friends are the most important and I recently experienced a similar struggle to find a place that would welcome Olive (our kitty friend and companion). All is well now.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Julia. It has been a massive stress for us to be able to find a cat-friendly place where Tina will be happy. So glad to hear that you managed the same feat for Olive (what a sweet name!) x Ania
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