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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
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 321kcal

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

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