The ultimate comfort food bursting with hidden nourishment and plant-based goodness. With red lentil flour to add protein and a velvety consistency, and vegetables cut so small, even the pickiest eater will gobble it up without a fuss. Just a little chopping in the food processor and then slow bubbling on the stove, this is a dish that maximises flavour with minimal effort. This vegan spaghetti bolognese is a winning recipe on all fronts - easy to make, full of goodness and it's a real crowd-pleaser!
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The thing that I get asked more than anything else when it comes to food is “how do you get your children to eat more vegetables?”. The answer usually begins with this hidden veg sauce!
My middle child is a very fussy eater and the only vegetables she will knowingly eat are broccoli and carrots - and spinach (if it's in a sauce) because it is a bit like seaweed which we always called mermaid food 🧜♀️ 😁 🤷♀️. She knows she has to eat other vegetables in order to be healthy and she has now come to terms with eating them in a disguised way even though she knows they are there and can identify the pieces of vegetables. So, I find the easiest way to get a broader variety of vegetables into her is to do a lot of saucy food.
The Magic Ingredient...
To get the protein and mince-like bite, I have tried various different options. I have tried beans, all kinds of lentils, chopped up walnuts, soya mince, you name it. Each one has caused the kids to pull faces and push the food around their plates dismally.
So then I decided to make the protein a hidden ingredient too! All you need to do is whizz red lentils in the food processor until they become lentil flour (or you could just use red lentil flour). This gives the sauce a velvety consistency and provides the kids with the nutritional benefits of the lentils without the texture that they find unpleasant.
The bolognese texture then comes from the way you cut the vegetables into tiny cubes instead (and they have to be tiny to prevent the fusses about big cubes of veg that have made it onto the “don’t like” list that week). I find that a rapid whizz in the food processor gets the veg to exactly the right miniature size with minimal prep.
Basic Instructions
The basic steps for making this vegan spaghetti bolognese are:
- Slowly fry the onion for 15 minutes over a low heat until deep brown.
- Then add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped vegetables and gently fry for another 10 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes.
- Cook the pasta and mix together with the sauce.
This is a summary only. Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page for full detailed instructions. Thermomix instructions are also included in the recipe card.
Variations
The vegetables I have used here are the base vegetables that I always include in a bolognese for the kids but i often also throw in whatever else I have in the fridge that needs to be used up.
- An obvious choice would be bell peppers but I haven’t included them in this recipe since my kids can’t stand the flavour and can detect even the merest hint of red pepper in a sauce so I just accept defeat there and don’t include them – you have to pick your battles, right?
- I have successfully hidden a little bit of beetroot or cauliflower or even grated aubergine in this sauce. Those are vegetables that my children will not touch and so I can’t even leave them identifiable! But dress them up in a tomato sauce with spaghetti and call it “bolognese”, and they will happily chomp it down without a care in the world! (To all the Italians out there, I do apologise for stealing the word “bolognese” here with very little resemblance to the real thing – it’s only that my kids will eat anything if it’s called bolognese!)
Serving Suggestions
It goes without saying that vegan spaghetti bolognese is really a meal in itself. Serve with a little of my nutty cheese topping sprinkled on top (you can make that in the food processor before you start chopping vegetables if you haven't got any ready-made in the fridge). You could also have a simply-dressed fresh green salad on the side.
Leftovers
I often make a big batch of this vegan bolognese sauce at the end of the weekend when I realise my kids have eaten a fair amount of junk food and need a good dose of vegetables to get them back on the right footing to start the week ahead. Usually there are enough leftovers to do one more meal in the week, re-purposed as a jacket potato topping or shepherd’s pie filling, so I feel I’m starting the week with one meal in the bag.
Storage
This vegan bolognese sauce keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Re-heat gently in a pan or in the microwave.
Stovetop
📖 Recipe 📖
Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese (with hidden vegetables)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced or crushed
- 1 stick celery
- 2 large carrots
- 1 small courgette (zucchini)
- 40 g mushrooms
- 40 g red lentil flour, (or dried red lentils whizzed to a powder)
- 400 g tinned tomatoes
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- 2 teaspoon brown rice syrup
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 grinding black pepper, (to taste)
- 300 g gluten-free spaghetti
Instructions
- Either finely dice the onions or quickly whizz them in the food processor so they are finely cut but not mush! Then heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion over a low heat for a good 15 minutes, stirring now and then to ensure it doesn’t burn but goes a lovely deep brown colour.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the celery, carrots, courgette, and mushroom into tiny cubes (or briefly whizz in the food processor). You can do these vegetables all together as they are going to be added to the pan together.
- Once the onion is a lovely deep brown colour, add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
- Then add the celery, carrots, courgette and mushroom and cook over a low heat for another 10 minutes, stirring now and then to ensure it doesn’t stick to the pan. You may need to add a touch more oil at this point or perhaps a splash of water to prevent sticking. You will find that the mixture reduces in quantity as it cooks down and goes a deeper brown.
- After 10 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients (except the spaghetti). It will look like there is too much liquid, but don’t worry, the red lentil flour soaks up a lot of liquid so it will go lovely and thick during cooking! Bring to the boil then stir, put the lid on the pan, reduce the heat to its lowest setting, and simmer very gently for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After cooking down, the vegetables should all be soft and the sauce should be thick and a deep red colour. Check the taste and add a generous pinch of salt and pepper (to taste).
- Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions (usually 6-8 minutes in a large pan of boiling salted water), drain the pasta and mix in the pan with the bolognese sauce.
Notes
- Feel free to add whatever vegetables you have in your kitchen, e.g. peppers, beetroot, cauliflower, aubergine.
Nutrition
Thermomix
📖 Recipe 📖
Thermomix Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese (with hidden vegetables)
Ingredients
- 40 g dried red lentils
- 30 g olive oil
- 80 g onion, roughly chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, sliced
- 30 g celery, roughly chopped
- 100 g carrot, roughly chopped
- 100 g courgette (zucchini), roughly chopped
- 40 g mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 400 g tinned tomatoes
- 250 g vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon tamari , (or soy sauce if you’re ok with gluten)
- 2 teaspoon brown rice syrup
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 grinding black pepper, (to taste)
- 300 g gluten-free spaghetti
Instructions
- Weigh the dried red lentils into the thermomix jug, put the lid on (and measure cup) then set the Thermomix to 1 minute / sp. 10. Pour out the red lentil flour into a container and set aside until later.
- Weigh in the olive oil, onion and garlic then put the lid on, set the Thermomix to 3 seconds / sp. 5. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and set to 10 minutes / 120°C / sp. 0.5 (no MC).
- Weigh in the chopped vegetables (celery, carrot, courgette, mushrooms). Set the Thermomix to 3 seconds / sp. 5. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and set to 10 minutes / 120°C / sp. 0.5. (Remove the measuring cup after 4 minutes). Stir half way through cooking time to ensure the bottom does not burn.
- Add the red lentil flour made at the start and the rest of the ingredients (except the spaghetti) and set to 40 minutes / 100°C / sp. 2.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions (usually 6-8 minutes in a large pan of boiling salted water), drain the pasta and mix in the pan with the bolognese sauce.
Notes
- Feel free to add whatever vegetables you have in your kitchen, e.g. peppers, beetroot, cauliflower, aubergine.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating ⭐ on the recipe card!
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