This vegan TVP bolognese sauce is packed with flavor! With aromatic garlic, basil, & white wine you won’t miss the meat in this hearty pasta sauce. Serve with garlic bread, salad, and a glass of vino… and you have a restaurant-quality dinner ready at home!
We love love LOVE homemade tomato sauce! I make a huge batch about once a month, normally following my signature 5 ingredient marinara sauce recipe. But this time I decided to kick it up a notch and add TVP (textured vegetable protein) which has the consistency of ground beef but is totally 100% plant based. And let me tell you… we have a WINNING recipe right here.
OK, So What Is TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) Anyway?
TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) are small bits of soy protein, which has a very similar texture as ground beef. Because of this, TVP is really versatile to use in place of real meat. We use TVP in soups and stews, for taco filling, and in lasagnas. TVP is a great pantry-staple protein, and it lasts a long time. We always keep a few bags of this stuff on hand.
This TVP Bolognese Sauce Is:
- Hearty
- Satisfying
- Bright
- Herby
- Loaded with flavor
- High protein
- Low sodium
- Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian
Use TVP Instead of Ground Beef!
TVP is a high-protein plant based alternative to ground beef. A lot of companies make “fake meat” ground beef, which admittedly are yummy, but are loaded with sodium and flavor chemicals. I like to use TVP instead because the only ingredient is soy protein, and I can add any spices, seasonings, or salt myself. I use TVP in my TVP Tacos recipe, TVP meatballs, and even a TVP ground ‘sausage’ that is totally plant based!
So What’s In This TVP Bolognese Sauce:
- TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein): I love stocking my pantry with TVP! TVP is made from soy protein and has the exact same texture as ground beef… making it really versatile to use in place of real meat. We use TVP in soups and stews, for taco filling, and in lasagnas. TVP is a great pantry-staple protein, and it lasts a long time. We always keep a few bags of this stuff on hand.
- Diced Tomatoes: I only use no salt added diced tomatoes, these boxed tomatoes are really great to stock up on! I like boxed tomatoes better because they are BPA free and more eco-friendly than aluminum cans.
- Onions
- Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
- Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
- White Wine
- Basil
- Italian Seasoning Blend: usually has thyme, basil, rosemary, parsley, etc. I love this bright and flavorful Italian season mix which brings this amazing dish to life.
- Tellicherry Black Pepper: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper. This pepper is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor! I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend.
This sauce is great over spaghetti or rigatoni with a side of garlic bread. You can also use this sauce in a lasagna instead of normal tomato sauce, or in a Tuscan white bean and kale soup. Any recipe that calls for tomato sauce can use this awesome delish plant based TVP sauce instead.
How Do I Make This TVP Bolognese?
- In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and saute on low from 7 or 8 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
- Add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes until the wine begins to reduce.
- Meanwhile, boil the 2 cups of water. In a separate bowl, mix the dry TVP, onion powder, and Italian seasonings. Add the boiling water to the TVP, stir, and cover for 5 minutes until the water is absorbed.
- Now, the fun part: crushing tomatoes by hand! Open can of tomatoes and crush each one by hand while still submerged in the juices. That way the tomatoes won’t splatter everywhere while you crush.
- Add the TVP and tomatoes to Dutch oven and reduce on low heat for 30 minutes until sauce begins to thicken. Top off the sauce with fresh basil, and stir. Pour over pasta of choice!
One of the BEST Pantry Staple Pasta Sauce Recipes
This vegan spaghetti bolognese recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal! It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards. You probably already have a lot of these ingredients on hand already. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate. I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep on hand. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple recipes on TheHerbeevore.com here. By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!
This recipe is also low sodium pasta sauce you can enjoy anytime! I didn’t include salt in this sauce, but you can add some after if needed. It can be made mostly from ingredients you store in the pantry (TVP, canned tomatoes, wine, spices) so its great to make if you don’t have access to fresh ingredients.
Serve This TVP Bolognese Sauce With:
Easy Vegan Tofu Lasagna (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, High Protein)
The Best Italian TVP Meatballs (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan)
Garlic Lover’s Baked Garlic Bread (Vegan, Gluten Free Option)
Cheese-y Eggplant Bake (Keto, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian)
Sheet Pan Pasta Bake with Mozzarella and Lemon (Vegetarian)
Get the Same Ingredients I Use In My TVP High Protein Vegan Bolognese Sauce Recipe:
As always, if you make this vegan TVP bolognese sauce be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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TVP Bolognese Sauce (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 cloves garlic minced
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 2 cups white wine
- 4 28 ounce cans can whole tomatoes crushed
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups TVP, Textured Vegetable Protein
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and saute on low from 7 or 8 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
- Add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes until the wine begins to reduce.
- Meanwhile, boil the 2 cups of water. In a seperate bowl, mix the dry TVP, onion powder, and Italian seasonings. Add the boiling water to the TVP, stir, and cover for 5 minutes until the water is absorbed.
- Now, the fun part: crushing tomatoes by hand! Open can of tomatoes and crush each one by hand while still submerged in the juices. That way the tomatoes won't splatter everywhere while you crush.
- Add the TVP and tomatoes to Dutch oven and reduce on low heat for 30 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
- Top off the sauce with fresh basil, and stir. Pour over pasta of choice!
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Mmmmmmmm. Love it!