Mushroom and walnut bolognese

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Mushroom and walnut bolognese - an easy vegan dinner in 20 minutes!

The walnut ‘meat’ returns!

I’ve used it twice before now, piled high on loaded potato slices, and stuffed into lettuce wraps. Since both of these recipes spiced it up and made it taco meat style, this time I thought I’d do something a bit different and use it to make spaghetti bolognese (a firm favourite).

Mushroom and walnut bolognese - an easy vegan dinner in 20 minutes!

I usually use beef-style soy mince in my bolognese, but I loved this less processed version even more. The mushrooms give a bit of chewiness, and the coarsely ground walnuts make sure the mixture has a bit of bite. They’re cooked in with the tomatoes, so they’re not completely crunchy, but definitely give you something to sink your teeth into.

Mushroom and walnut bolognese - an easy vegan dinner in 20 minutes!

This vegan version isn’t your typical bolognese sauce. It’s not simmered for hours to make a dark, rich tomato sauce (though a splash of red wine wouldn’t go amiss!), but what the recipe lacks in colour, it makes up for in convenience – it only takes about 20 minutes to make! I used a combination of big tomatoes and little cherry tomatoes, but you can use whatever kind you have on hand.

Don’t forget to serve your spaghetti bolognese topped with a good handful of grated cheese – or keep it plain (or use vegan cheese!) for a vegan version.

Mushroom and walnut bolognese - an easy vegan dinner in 20 minutes!

Then just grab a fork and dig in…

Mushroom and walnut bolognese - an easy vegan dinner in 20 minutes!

Mushroom and walnut bolognese

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5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories:
Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 medium mushrooms diced fairly small
  • 100 g walnuts
  • 3 large tomatoes diced
  • 100 g cherry tomatoes ~12, halved
  • 100 ml vegetable stock ~1/3 cup
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • Black pepper
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • To serve: spaghetti optional, grated cheese

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft.
  • Meanwhile, add the walnuts to a food processor, and pulse a few times until the walnuts are coarsely ground.
  • Add the walnuts to the mushroom mixture, along with the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat up a little, and simmer gently for around 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture is at your desired consistency. Serve with spaghetti and grated cheese if desired.

Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

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Mushroom and walnut bolognese - an easy vegan dinner in 20 minutes!

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16 Comments

  1. wow this looks amazing – I have tried this sort of walnut meat for tacos but never on pasta – can’t wait as I love walnuts and am always looking for new spag bol ideas

  2. I just finished eating this and had to comment – loved it!!! New fav veg Bolognese :) In my pre-vegetarian days I used to love a good bowl of spaghetti bolognese, but I haven’t really found a non-meat recipe that I was more than “meh, I ‘spose that was okay”…. UNTIL NOW! Even the carnivore said it was good, and he was rather sceptical before eating it!

    Definitely making this again and again and again. Thanks :)