Does anyone have a good veggie bolognaise recipe please?

[COL1N]

Either using quorn or lentils or just veggies?
All the ones Ive attempted have been been v bland & watery (but admittedly I am not the best cook & need to have clear directions!).

What do you do to yours?
I pulse carrots, peppers, mushroom and then add stock cubes and red split lentils, along with a load of herbs & black pepper to sautéed onions, and simmer away in a carton of passata and a tin of tomatoes for ages -probably a good hour at least. It’s never watery. If it’s bland add more seasoning, you need to taste as you go along. Simmering let’s it thicken up and develop some flavour and the split lentils absorb liquid anyway so it’s not watery.

That makes loads of portions btw because I batch cook.

I soften chopped up small onion, carrot and celery in olive oil. Add loads of garlic. Once softened I add some red wine and simmer until it's almost gone then add the red lentils, stir them round for a couple of minutes then add two cans of cherry tomatoes, tomato purée, herbs, couple of bay leaves, pepper and salt. Simmer for at least 45 minutes.

I use dehydrated soya mince because it’s cheap and easy.
Fry onions, add tins of tomatoes and mince, plus any extra veg if we have it.
Lots of garlic, salt, pepper. A little chilli and a pinch of sugar. Some Henderson’s relish. And either good vegetable stock (not supermarket stuff, the kind you get in health food shops), or a teaspoon of MSG (bought online). That’s the essential bit, adds the savouriness you lose from not using meat.

I haven't made a successful one yet, but from learnings from other vegetarian food the key is to actively build umami. Beef has a huge amount of savoury flavour which lentils (green lentils are my usual go to) don't have, and so dishes will often feel empty and a bit bland without it, in a way that additional salt and acid can't fix. Umani rich foods include porcini mushroom stock, mushrooms in the sauce, tomato puree, marmite, miso, soy sauce, vegetarian parm rinds, nutritional yeast, kombu, straight up pinch of MSG. Serve with lots of vegetarian parmesan.

Jamie Oliver has a gorgeous one online.

This is my favourite - really tasty

Lentil bolognese

@COL1N
as PP’s have said use enough herbs, seasonings, garlic, tasty veg and good ingredients, it should never be bland, also I use Watkins Mushroom ketchup it really adds to the flavour of these sort of dishes

I use a mix of soya mince and lentils. If you are used to making it with beef, as I am, you need to add much,much more flavour. More garlic, more basil, I also add stock, a dash of sugar, peppers, chilli, miso.

Thankyou everyone- could anyone give me a recipe with grammage etc for ingredients, I really am a very basic cook! Does the soya stuff freeze ok if you are batch cooking?

I just use veggies as lentil or soya can make it rather heavy.

I’ve found that chopping onions up in a zizzer and cooking them makes the sauce nice and thick , and add celery, carrots, courgettes and passata (and whatever herbs you like) and cook it long and slow. Maybe add some red wine.

Tomato puree is your friend here. It will thicken the sauce and add umami (taste!).

I'd also recommend some marmite if you have any in the house, as again it adds the savory flavour.

I use either veggie mince or lentils. If you're using lentils green are better than orange as they hold their shape.

Hands down the best veggie/lentil bolognese. Makes loads too

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/puy_lentil_bolognaise_40407

You need a small gauge grid on the mandolin to chop up onions, peppers, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic & a judicious amount of fresh chilli - I find half a chilli gives warmth not heat.

Fry them off for a bit, then add tomatoes (fresh & chopped, if they are good where you live, good quality tin if not).

Add lentils (dried red or tinned green) or decent veggie mince, a bit of vegetable stock, quite a lot of tomato puree - if you've got an emptyish ketchup bottle rinse it out with the stock & add it. If you're not vegan & have a parmesan rind lying about, chuck that in too.

Whack in some dried basil or oregano. Simmer for an hour or so. If it still tastes a bit lacklustre after all that, IMO Henderson's relish might help.

Disclaimer: this is how I feed the hordes & empty the fridge - categorically no claims made for authenticity. Bears absolutely no relationship to a proper bolognese!

@CorvusPurpureus Henderson's relish. I was trying to remember that. I used to use Worcester sauce until DS went veggie. Does the job.

They all freeze fine OP.

I'm not good at links but if you Google Rachel Roddy Guardian lentil Ragu you will get the best most delicious recipe. I make it weekly.

Yes, soya mince freezes fine.

For two generous portions
1 tin tomatoes
2/3 small mug of dried soya mince
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic or 1tsp puree
1-2 tbsp tomato puree
1/2-1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2-1tsp veg stock powder or MSG
1/2tsp chilli flakes
pinch sugar
Ground pepper to taste

If it's bland and watery you haven't cooked it for long enough. It needs to reduce longer. I chuck in a teaspoon of sugar and a big pinch of salt too.

I might go against the majority here, but I would instead recommend to keep things simple, especially if you don't consider yourself a great cook. My go-to recipe for this is actually a really quick one and I normally prepare the sauce while the pasta cooks.

One small onion, finely chopped and fried with olive oil and half a teaspoon of dried sage until soft but not burnt. Add a can of drained lentils (I use organic ones on tetrapak from Sainsbury's, which are nice and soft) and fry lightly. Add about 200ml of rustic passata (I use Cirio) and let it simmer away for 10 minutes, then add a bit of milk (cow or oat) to balance out the acidity of the tomato, salt and a generous amount of pepper. It works especially well with brown pasta, I would recommend either spaghetti or tube shapes (mezze maniche, tortiglioni or rigatoni) and finish it off with a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil. Don't be tempted to add cheese, it doesn't make it better.

It's quick, doesn't need special ingredients, and most are pantry ones so it's a good "emergency" option. My family loves it, toddler included!