How do you make Bolognese sauce without meat? It’s easy with my vegan tempeh Bolognese recipe! Crumbles of tempeh and chopped mushrooms replace the beef in this whole food plant based take on the classic. It’s a delicious dish that even ardent tempeh haters may love! Enjoy this vegan Bolognese over whole grain pasta, or try it with spaghetti squash for a low carb and low calorie meal.

I was on a vegan diet for many years. And during that time, I cooked a lot of tempeh. With so much tempeh cooking experience under my belt, why are there so few tempeh recipes on the site? 

The answer is simple really. I only post recipes here that we eat and enjoy. And certain members of my family never developed a love for tempeh. 

I don’t think it’s necessary to develop a love for every single healthy food out there. So, I pretty much gave up making recipes with tempeh for many years. However, then I remembered Bolognese sauce. 

Bolognese works well as a vehicle to hide a variety of strong-tasting proteins, such as liver. After trying this recipe, I think you’ll agree it’s the best way to eat tempeh!

➕ What is tempeh?

Tempeh (sometimes spelled “tempe”) is a fermented soy product from Indonesia that is often used as a meat substitute. Tempeh differs from tofu because of the special fermentation process the beans undergo. This fermentation process gives the tempeh cake a different taste, texture, and nutritional profile than other soy foods. 

Some tempeh varieties are made solely of soybeans and tempeh starter. Other types of tempeh may integrate grains such as barley, brown rice, and quinoa for a different flavor. The Lightlife Flax Tempeh I used for this recipe contains soy, brown rice, and flaxseeds.

⭐ Tempeh Bolognese Ingredients

The ingredients list for this vegan pasta sauce isn’t very different from my classic Bolognese recipe. Here’s what you need:

• 8 ounces crumbled tempeh (227g) 
• 8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, chopped or broken into small pieces (227g) 
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 Chopped small onion 
• 1 Chopped carrot 
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic 
• 1 chopped celery 
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes (from a can) 
• 1 tablespoon each dried herbs: parsley, oregano, and basil 
• Salt and pepper 

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Feel free to use your favorite variety of tempeh in this recipe. You can use an all-soy tempeh, or use a tempeh that is a soy and grain mix. 

The only type of tempeh I would avoid here is heavily seasoned or flavored tempeh, such as tempeh bacon. It might work out, but I can’t guarantee it because I did not try it. 

I would definitely stick with a “reduced sodium” or “less sodium” soy sauce for this recipe. Otherwise, you are risking that your finished sauce will be too salty. 

You may have noticed that this is a Bolognese sauce without wine. I don’t usually add red wine or white wine to my Bolognese recipes because I feel it’s unnecessary taste-wise. Skipping the wine just tends to be easiest since I don’t always have a bottle of wine in the house. 

The kitchen equipment you need for a good Bolognese is pretty basic. I like to have a sharp knife, cast iron skillet, and a wooden spoon on hand. You could also make your Bolognese in an Instant Pot using the saute function.

How to get bitterness out of tempeh?

To fix tempeh that is too bitter, some suggest soaking the tempeh or simmering it in veggie broth before using it in recipes. I find it’s unnecessary here. 

💡 How to Crumble Tempeh 

Making tempeh crumbles is so simple, I hesitated to give it its own section. My favorite way to make crumbled tempeh is to chop it and then crumble it up with clean hands. Hand crumbling the tempeh creates pieces that aren’t perfectly even, giving it more surface area for coating with the sauce. 

BTW, I tend to do a similar thing with mushrooms. When I need chopped mushrooms, I buy mushrooms slices and hand crumble them into the skillet. This tends to save me a little time compared to using a knife (but it’s not the best method if you need an even dice). 

🍝 How to Cook Tempeh Bolognese 

Ready to do this? I recommend chopping the veggies and mushrooms, as well as crumbling the tempeh before we begin. Once we turn on the heat, things are going to come together fairly quickly. Here are the step-by-step instructions: 

1. Start by putting your olive oil, mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a cast iron skillet. Heat them over medium heat on the stove top, letting them soften (but not brown). Stir the veggies frequently so they don’t stick; this step takes about 10 minutes. 

2. Next, add the tempeh to the skillet and drizzle the soy sauce over the top. Stir the tempeh into the veggies and let it brown a little over medium heat. This will take 5-10 minutes. 

3. Now you’re ready to stir in the crushed tomatoes, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and black pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the sauce gently simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Serve tempeh Bolognese sauce over whole grain pasta for a high calorie option. Alternatively, you can make a low carb and vegan spag bol using “zoodles” (zucchini noodles) or spaghetti squash. My air fryer spaghetti squash is great with this vegan pasta sauce. 

For toppings, I like to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for a vegetarian Bolognese. To keep things vegan, use a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (AKA “nooch”) in place of the Parm. 

🧊 Tempeh Bolognese Sauce Storage

You can make this veggie Bolognese sauce up to 3-4 days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you’ll be making it even further in advance, freeze it until you want to use it. Just pop your leftover Bolognese sauce in the freezer and defrost it when you want an easy vegan meal option. 

👩‍🍳 More Tempeh Recipes 

Tempeh is delicious in tempeh stir fry, tempeh tacos, or pan fry, drizzle it with maple syrup, and have it with breakfast! Here are a few more ways to use tempeh: 

• Drizzle cooked tempeh with keto peanut sauce 
• Alternatively, serve tempeh with this low calorie teriyaki sauce 
• Try this marinated tempeh air fryer recipe 

👨‍🍳 Other Pasta Recipes 

• High Calorie Pasta for Weight Gain 
• Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs (with zucchini noodles) 
• Are Carrots Fruits or Vegetables? (plus recipe with carrot noodles) 
• Tahini Pasta 
• Pork Belly Pasta Recipe 
• Salad Supreme Pasta Salad 

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