• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Casually Peckish
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Pasta

    Vegetarian bolognese ft. roast pumpkin

    Published: Nov 26, 2020 · Modified: May 7, 2021 by Genevieve

    Jump to Recipe

    Say hello to this hearty vegetarian bolognese for your next meat-free day or meal. Packed with lots of roasted pumpkin (deliciously caramelised on the outside) and other good veggies, this ain't your regular classic spag bol.

    This is a feel-good, healthy, planet-friendly spag bol that is absolutely yum.

    A plate of vegetarian spaghetti bolognese

    Don't worry! Just because this is vegetarian doesn't mean that flavour has been compromised! On the contrary, this is mouthwatering, seconds-please delicious.

    Right. Let's get to it!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Here's how you make it
    • Add cheese for extra creaminess
    • Tips for roasting pumpkin
    • Love pasta? Here's more!
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    Ingredients required for spaghetti vegetarian bolognese
    • Pumpkin either kent or butternut pumpkin works well for this recipe. Bear in mind, butternut pumpkin is a little sweeter than kent. Butternut's skin is a little tougher than kent too.
    • Mushrooms button or portobello are both okay.
    • Worcestershire sauce is a flavour bomb. It adds depth of flavour and the acidity (together with tomatoes) helps balance the sweetness of the pumpkin. Traditionally, Worcestershire sauce is made of vinegar, molasses, tamarind, anchovies, salt, sugar and bunch of other flavouring ingredients. Now, vegetarian/vegan Worcestershire sauces are widely available at major supermarkets. Substitute: balsamic vinegar.

    Here's how you make it

    First thing - Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F fan-forced.

    • Tray of chopped pumpkin
    • Mushrooms, diced onions and diced carrots cooking in a pot
    • Simmering a pot of vegetables and stock
    • Roasted pumpkin pieces added into pot of vegetable sauce
    • STEP 1. Roughly cut pumpkin up into 3 cm/1 inch chunks, season with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Pop onto a lined tray and into the oven for 30 minutes. Tip: Leave the skin on. Pumpkin skin is perfectly okay to eat and full of fibre. It'll soften throughout the cooking process.
    • STEP 2. Whilst pumpkin is roasting, add diced onions and carrots into a heavy-based, deep pan/pot with some olive oil. Cook on medium-low heat until soft. About 8 minutes.
    • STEP 3. Add minced garlic and sliced mushrooms into the pan. Saute on high heat for 2 - 4 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. Season with a little salt and pepper.
    • STEP 4. Mix in canned tomatoes, veggie stock, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce. Bring up to boil then reduce heat to low and simmer (without lid) for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust for salt and pepper if required.
    • STEP 5. By now, the pumpkin should have been roasting for about 25 minutes. Turn the heat up to 220°C/430°F and roast for further 10 minutes. Continue to simmer the pot of tomato/veggie sauce.
    • STEP 6. The pumpkin should now be caramelised/brown on the outside and soft on the inside. Add it into the pot of simmering goodness and mix thoroughly. The pumpkin should full apart very easily and melt into the sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste for seasoning.

    To serve, mix cooked spaghetti with this vegetarian bolognese sauce.

    Optional: garnish with fresh basil leaves.

    Side image of plate of spaghetti vegetarian bolognese

    Add cheese for extra creaminess

    Roasted pumpkin gives this veggie spag bol. a rich, creamy texture. It attaches to the spaghetti pasta really well (like the picture below) and a great vegan pasta dish on its own. Assuming you're using vegan Worcestershire sauce or swapped it for balsamic vinegar.

    But! To take things to the next level - cheese. Mix some shredded cheese just before serving for that extra creamy and stringy cheese factor (vegetarian).

    If you're after a mild cheesy flavour, go for some mozzarella cheese. Otherwise, the balanced parmesan, cheddar & mozzarella combo never disappoint!

    close up of a fork-ful of spaghetti mixed with vegetarian bolognese

    Tips for roasting pumpkin

    If you want a tray of perfectly roasted crunchy potatoes, it's important to space them out and roast on high heat.

    This is no different for roasting pumpkins. To get the most out of roasted pumpkins, you want the outer layer to get all brown and caramelly. This is where the best flavour is at.

    The trick to perfectly roasted pumpkin (not soggy) everytime

    • Cut into rough chunks - about 1 inch/3 cm cubes. This maximises surface area for caramelisation in the oven
    • Roast on high heat - 200°C/400°F fan-forced. If pumpkin is not caramelising/browning enough, crank the oven up to 220°C/430°F to make sure it does.
    • Don't overcrowd - make sure there is a little space in between each pumpkin piece. Do not have any overlapping.
    • Coat with a little olive oil, salt and pepper
    Large plate of spaghetti vegetarian bolognese

    Roasted pumpkin adds an incredible creamy texture and sweetness to this veggie bolognese. The acidity in the canned tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce perfectly balances the sweetness of the pumpkin. Combined with sauteed mushrooms and other vegetables, this bolognese is just packed with layers upon layers of flavour!

    Love pasta? Here's more!

    • Classic spaghetti bolognese - hearty and delicious
    • Healthy-ish chicken and broccoli pasta - creamy but not heavy
    • Easy garlic prawn pasta - 15 minute tangy pasta!
    • Creamy chicken and mushroom pasta - proper comfort food

    Thank you for checking out my recipes! Let me know what you think and/or if you have any questions, drop me a note in the comments section below. 🙂

    Happy cooking!

    📖 Recipe

    overhead view of a plate of vegetarian spaghetti bolognese

    Vegetarian bolognese

    Hearty and delicious vegetarian bolognese pasta that will have you going for seconds! The key here is making sure the pumpkin pieces gets nicely caramelised with brown bits in the oven before adding into the simmering tomato veggie sauce.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian, Western
    Keyword: pumpkin spaghetti, vegetarian pasta
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 321kcal
    Author: Genevieve

    Ingredients

    • 200 g / 7oz mushroom button or portobello, thickly sliced
    • 1 can tomatoes 400ml/12oz, diced or whole
    • 1 carrot finely diced
    • 1 onion brown, finely diced
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup vegetable stock
    • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce substitute: balsamic vinegar (note 1)
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme or other preferred herbs such as oregano
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Pumpkin roast ingredients

    • 800 g / 1.8lb pumpkin kent or butternut both okay
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • salt and pepper

    Serve with

    • 500 g / 1lb dried spaghetti or other preferred shapes
    • optional: fresh basil leaves
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Vegetarian bolognese

    • Preheat oven to 200°C/400°C fan-forced.
    • Roughly cut pumpkin, skin-on, to 3cm/1in cubes. Toss with remaining roast pumpkin ingredients on a lined baking tray. Roast for 30 minutes. (note 2)
    • In a large, deep pan/pot, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil, onions and carrots. Cook on medium-low heat until soft. About 8 minutes.
    • Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute on high for about 2 - 4 minutes or until mushrooms softened. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
    • Pour in tomatoes, vegetable stock, dried thyme, worcestershire sauce. Mix well, bring up to boil. If using whole tomatoes, break apart with a spatula. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Lid off, mix occasionally.
    • By now the pumpkins would have been roasting for about 25 minutes. Turn the oven to 220°C/430°F fan-forced. Roast for an additional 10 minutes. This will ensure browning/caramelisation of pumpkins.
    • Once the pumpkins are roasted to perfection and had 35 minutes in the oven, tip into the simmering pot of tomato veggie sauce.
    • Mix thoroughly. Pumpkins should break apart very easily and thicken the sauce. Simmer for an additional 5 or so minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust for seasoning if necessary.

    To serve

    • Spaghetti: cook according to packet instructions whilst the bolognese is simmering away. Don't forget to salt the pasta cooking water!
    • To serve, mix spaghetti with the vegetarian bolognese thoroughly and garnish (optional) with fresh basil leaves. (note 3)

    Notes

    Note 1.Worcestershire sauce is a flavour bomb. It adds depth of flavour and the acidity (together with tomatoes) helps balance the sweetness of the pumpkin. Traditionally Worcestershire sauce is made of vinegar, molasses, tamarind, anchovies, salt, sugar and bunch of other ingredients. Vegetarian/vegan worcestershire sauce is widely available at major supermarkets.
    Note 2. Roasting pumpkins make sure pumpkin pieces are spread out in on the baking tray with a little wiggle room in between each piece. This will allow caramelisation and browning which translates to invaluable flavour! 
    Note 3. Add cheese for creamy indulgence mix some shredded cheese just before serving for that extra creamy and stringy cheese factor. If you're after a mild cheesy flavour, go for mozzarella cheese. Otherwise, the balanced parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella combo never disappoint!
    Note 4. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container. Makes this a great meal prep idea! 
    Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 54.5g | Protein: 9.7g | Fat: 7.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 3.7g | Sugar: 3.9g | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg

    More Pasta Recipes

    • close up of chilli prawn pasta
      Chilli Garlic Prawn Pasta
    • Close up of creamy chicken pasta
      Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
    • sausage pasta on a white plate
      Spicy Sausage Pasta
    • Close up of creamy pasta bake
      Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    A profile image of Gen, the author and owner of casually peckish

    Hi, I'm Gen!

    All in for a "what's for dinner" conversation. When I'm not at the gym exercising or grocery shopping, I'm making a mess in the kitchen and creating something yum along the way.

    Learn more about me →

    FREE recipe e-booklet

    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter and receive a free recipe e-booklet straight to your inbox!

    Gen's top picks

    • Sideview of a slice of lasagna showing all 4 layers. A tray of lasagna in the background, blurred
      Lasagna
    • A bowl of wonton noodle soup
      Wonton Noodle Soup
    • Close up of a bowl of lu rou fan with pickles, egg and Asian greens
      Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice)
    • Noodle stir fry in a black pan
      Beef Noodle Stir Fry

    Popular recipes

    • Plate of creamy mushroom pasta
      Creamy Mushroom Pasta (no cream!)
    • Chinese pork mince noodles
      Chinese pork mince noodles
    • Plateful of pork wontons
      Pork Wontons
    • Delicious, simple and healthy garlic prawn pasta
      Easy Garlic Prawn Pasta
    • full plate of creamy garlic prawn pasta
      Creamy garlic prawn pasta
    • close up of spaghetti and meatballs
      Spaghetti and Meatballs

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Casually Peckish
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Casually Peckish