TVP Bolognese Pasta Sauce Recipe (Vegan, High Protein) (2024)

This TVP Bolognese Pasta Sauce is packed with flavor! With aromatic garlic, basil, & white wine you won’t miss the meat in this hearty pasta sauce.

Serve with vegan garlic knots, a chopped salad, and a generous glass of vino. You’ll have a restaurant-quality dinner ready at home in no time!

We love this hearty flavorful TVP spaghetti sauce! I make a huge batch of TVP meat sauce about once a month, 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.

What Is TVP – Textured Vegetable Protein?

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 touse 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 keepa few bags of this stuffon hand.

This TVP Bolognese Sauce Is:

• Hearty
• Satisfying
• Bright
• Herby
• Loaded with flavor
• High protein
• Low sodium
• Vegan, dairy free, vegetarian

Make TVP Meat Sauce Vegan for a Plant-Based Version

This vegan TVP Meat Sauce recipe is a simple way to get extra veggies in your diet. I’m all about making recipes plant-based when I can. Vegan cooking does NOT have to be bland, boring, or flavorless… It’s quite the opposite when done right. By building meals around vegan pantry staples and swapping in a few plant-based ingredients you can make better meals for you and your family.

I made a list of my 125 favorite vegan pantry ingredients that we use on a weekly basis, and check out all my vegan recipes here that are on The Herbeevore. These easy and tasty recipes are fantastic meatless and dairy free meals for your table.

A Vegan Substitute for 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, preservatives, and 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!

What’s In This TVP Pasta Sauce Recipe

See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

• TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein):I love stocking mypantry with TVP! TVP is made from soy protein and has the exact same texture as ground beef… making it really versatile touse 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 keepa few bags of this stuffon 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 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!
• 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?

1. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and sauté on low from 7 or 8 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
2. Add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes until the wine begins to reduce.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 TVP spaghetti 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 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 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 (Dairy Free, High Protein)

The Best Italian TVP Meatballs (Dairy Free, Vegan)

Garlic Lover’s Baked Garlic Bread (Vegan, Gluten Free Option)

Cheese-y Eggplant Bake (Keto, Vegetarian)

Sheet Pan Pasta Bake with Mozzarella and Lemon (Vegetarian)

If you make this easy TVP meat sauce recipe 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 recipes!

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About the Author: Kelly Jensen