Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese (TVP)

Soy granule is the perfect alternative for the traditional meaty Bolognese sauce! This vegan Spaghetti Bolognese is quick to make, tastes like the real deal and no one would think it’s vegan!

I have been making this dish since the very early beginning of my vegan journey – so for almost 10 years now! It’s one of my favorite dishes ever and a real comfort food!

It looks super fancy pants (with the cashew parmesan and fresh basil on top) but it’s easy & quick to make. So perfect if you want to impress someone!

Bolognese sauce is traditionally a meaty sauce, so we want to use a ‘meaty’ substitute. That is why soy granule is the perfect alternative! Soy granule gives the sauce not only a meaty look but also texture.

This sauce looks like the real deal and with the added liquid smoke you can surprise even meat-eaters with this vegan sauce. Honestly, no one will ever guess it’s vegan!

And to make the ‘Spaghetti Bolognese look’ complete, I love to sprinkle homemade Cashew Parmesan on top.

The meaty vegan bolognese sauce is super versatile. You can use it also for lasagna or as a dip for tortilla chips.

What is soy granule?

Soy granule (or soy crumble, soy protein, TVP) is made out of defatted soy flour, which is extruded into granules (or small crumbs). The soy granule is dehydrated and needs to be cooked in water to be rehydrated.

I especially love cooking with soy granule because

• it can be stored at room temperature – like forever,
• it’s inexpensive,
• it expands when cooked, so it doesn’t need much space when storing it
• and it can be used a wide variety of dishes.

How to make Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese

You will need:

• vegan spaghetti noodles
• soy granule
• liquid smoke
• soy sauce
• tomato passata
• oil
• onion
• garlic cloves
• spices and herbs: paprika powder, salt, dried oregano. This is my recommendation. You can leave out, substitute, and experiment with spices, of course!

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• Easy Tomato Olive Pasta
• Avocado Basil Cream Pasta
• Mediterranean Pasta with Almond Feta
• 15-Minute Wild Garlic Pasta

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I hope you enjoy this recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese with TVP as much as I do! Let me know if you give it a try!

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Cheers, Bianca

Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese

Bianca Haun | Elephantastic Vegan

Soy granule is the perfect alternative for the traditional meaty Bolognese sauce! This vegan Spaghetti Bolognese is quick to make, tastes like the real deal and no one would think it’s vegan!

4 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian, Vegan

Servings 2 people

Calories 506 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 ounces spaghetti noodles (egg-free)

Vegan Bolognese Sauce

• ▢ 1 teaspoon canola oil or any plant-based oil
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion diced
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 cup soy granule
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• ▢ 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups tomato passata *
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Garnish

• ▢ 2 teaspoons Homemade Cashew Parmesan
• ▢ fresh basil

Instructions

 

• Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, we’re making the sauce. 
• In a medium-sized pot with a little bit of oil, cook the onion and garlic until soft. Set it aside in a bowl, we will add it to the sauce back again later.
• In a pot (I use the same as before), add the soy granule, water, soy sauce, liquid smoke, salt, paprika powder, and chili powder. Turn on the heat to low and stir until the soy granule has soaked up the water (this takes about 1 minute).
• Add in the onion and garlic, and add a bit of oil. Let it cook further until slightly crispy.
• Add the tomato passata and dried oregano. Stir and heat until hot. At this point, you can add more salt, liquid smoke, or chili powder if you want to spice it up even more.
• By now the pasta should be done, drain it, divide the spaghetti onto plates, top with the vegan bolognese sauce, garnish with fresh basil and sprinkle with Cashew Parmesan. Enjoy!

Notes

*I used store-bought tomato passata (with salt, no additional herbs) for this recipe – it’s often canned or in cartons, not to confuse with tomato paste which is thicker in consistency.

Tips for making an amazing vegan bolognese sauce:

• Don’t skip the spices. Soy granule doesn’t taste like much on its own. So you want to add some spices. I love liquid smoke for a smoky flavor and paprika powder.
• Instead of soy granule, you could also use grated carrots.
• Onions and garlic add more flavor to the sauce. But if you’re short on time, you could also use onion and garlic powder instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 506kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 35gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 994mgPotassium: 1126mgFiber: 15gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 1341IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 233mgIron: 10mg

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