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Slow Cooker Vegan Bolognese

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Slow Cooker Vegan Bolognese

The new wave of cold weather has me craving a hearty pasta sauce. I’ve also been working hard to sneak extra veggies into Cheryl. This Slow Cooker Vegan Bolognese is easy to make and gets a ton of veggies into your picky eater without a fight.

Saturday is the perfect day for slow cooking. Life is more relaxing once you know what you’re going to have for dinner. It’s even better when you have it cooking ahead of time.

If you have an Instant Pot, go to this page to get this recipe for the IP!

Slow Cooker Vegan Bolognese with Cauliflower, Eggplant, Mushrooms and Carrots | HealthySlowCooking.com

This sauce may look like its meaty namesake, but instead it’s full of cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms and carrots.

I like to buy my cauliflower and eggplant at Trader Joe’s when it’s not available at my farmers market. The best deal is that you pay per item and not per pound for most of the vegetables. I always walk out of there with the largest eggplant, butternut squash or head of cauliflower that I can find.

Slow Cooker Vegan Bolognese with Cauliflower, Eggplant, Mushrooms and Carrots | HealthySlowCooking.com

When you add everything to your 4 or 5 quart crockpot, it may seem a little drier than you expect. As the veggies cook down, they will add more liquid, but if you like your sauce thinner, you can add some broth or a little water. I like mine super thick.

Slow Cooker Vegan Bolognese with Cauliflower, Eggplant, Mushrooms and Carrots | HealthySlowCooking.com

Serve over cooked brown rice and quinoa pasta or zoodles for a traditional pasta night. Sometimes, I pour some sauce over a thick piece of whole grain toast for a fast and satisfying lunch. What’s your favorite pasta sauce? Is it something you grew up on or a recipe you created yourself?

Print Recipe
4.6 from 32 votes

Slow Cooker Vegan Bolognese

Use your food processor to make quick work of the prep work then cook all day in your slow cooker. This makes a large batch so you'll have some for now and plenty to freeze for later
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time8 hrs
Total Time8 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Calories: 128kcal
Author: Kathy Hester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 head cauliflower cut into rough florets
  • 10 ounce container of mushrooms
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 2 cups eggplant chunks
  • 2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar or sweetener of your choice
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons oregano
  • 1 tablespoon basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Add the cauliflower florets to the food processor and pulse until it looks like couscous. Scrape out into your 4 or 5 quart slow cooker.
  • Now add the mushrooms to the food processor and pulse until small, then add those to the slow cooker. Repeat with carrots and eggplant, until all the veggies are minced and in the slow cooker.
  • Mix in the crushed tomatoes, garlic, tomato pastes, agave nectar, balsamic vinegar, oregano, basil and rosemary. Cook on low 8 to 9 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
  • Before serving add salt and pepper to taste and add more oregano, basil or rosemary if you feel that the flavor faded some during cooking. I almost always add a little extra boost.

Nutrition

Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 783mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 17g


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Comments

    • You could use a hand grater or just mince all the ingredients with a knife. You’ll need to allow more time to prep though.

      Reply

  3. I finally tried out this recipe – really wonderful taste and texture! I’d like to try it on my omnivore friends…. We had it over whole wheat spaghetti and loved it! So glad there were plenty of leftovers.

    Reply

  4. would love to see the nutritional breakdown on this – looking for the carbs and sugar in particular. This really looks yummy!

    Reply

    • You can go to and enter in anything that you’d like to get the full nutritional values on. That way you can even enter the exact measurements you used, any brands of items so it is exactly correct.

      Reply

  5. Hi! Just wondering if it freezes ok? I’m a food prep maniac due to shift work! Can’t wait to try it regardless 🙂

    Reply

  6. You have got to be one of the smartest people in the world. I love this recipe! I eat on
    everything, lasagna, spaghetti, eggplant parmigiana, etc. Knowing how great it tastes
    and how good it is for me make it taste even better. Thank you for sharing it with us!

    Reply

  8. You REALLY need to saute the garlic in some oil before adding it to the slow cooker. I didn’t and it ruined my bolognese. I will definitely try again but will know not to make the same mistake.

    Reply

    • Some people (like me) are okay with the garlic not sauteed, but I’m glad you found the way you like it.

      Reply

  10. If you’re not allergic to soy the you could probably turn any bolognese sauce recipe into a vegan one by just switching out the meat in the recipe for vegan “meat” crumbles, such as Yves brand (one 12-oz. package of Yves brand vegan crumbles is equivalent to 1 lb. of ground meat).

    Reply

  11. This exceeded our expectation by miles! This was only the 2nd from this site that we’ve made (so far!), and not only is it versitile, i didnt get the standard question “what’s in it?” from the table.
    Thank you Kathy!

    Reply

    • I leave the skin on. The only exception would be if there are lots of blemishes or if the eggplant is fairly old, then it would be more bitter.

      Reply

  15. This was fantastic! I love meat sauce. I grew up eating my grandma’s and added some of her tricks to your recipe.
    I added; bay leaf, red wine, Bragg’s, a touch of worcestershire, unsweetened apple sauce & allspice. I honestly would have a hard time telling the difference between the meat sauce and the veggie sauce had they been side-by-side. Served this wonderful concoction over edamame spaghetti that I buy at my local Costco. Yum!! Thanks so much for helping to make nutritarian cooking delicious.

    Reply

  17. I would like to add lentils. I have dry red lentils or canned brown ones. What do you think would be better and when would I add them? I am quite new to cooking with lentils. Should I make any other changes if I am adding them? Thanks 🙂

    Reply

    • Dry Red lentils could be added in the beginning with extra water to cook them. They will melt into the sauce. You could add the canned lentils maybe 30 minutes before serving so they get hot. They will not melt but stay whole. I hope this helps.

      Reply

  18. Hi Kathy, love this recipe! Just to confirm, is it 2 x cans of tomatoes equaling 28oz or 2 x 28 oz cans? There’s a lot of difference so don’t want to mess it up! Thank you 🙂 Rachel

    Reply

  19. I love this recipe!! I really feel like I am eating a meat sauce! I add a little Worstershire sauce as well because that is a meaty flavor to me. Trying to use fewer processed foods, and this is my new go-to pasta sauce. I used it to make a zucchini lasagna, and add a cup to steamed veggies. It freezes so well, I always have it on hand. Needless to say, I will never buy a jar of pasta sauce again. Thanks!

    Reply

  21. Really good recipe, thanks! Even my kids who are ‘allergic’ to aubergine (eggplant) ate it and loved it ???? I whizzed a couple of sundried tomatoes in too.

    Reply

  22. I made this on the stove today for dinner tomorrow. The only thing I would do differently is cut the eggplant much smaller. I saluted my veggies in olive oil before I added the sauce and spices … not sure how long I cooked for … an hour??? I never tasted anything like it … its so good! Can’t wait to try it on pasta and dip some bread into it!! Mine came out much redder in color than the picture.

    Reply

  24. I usually pour salt over sliced eggplant for about 30 minutes, then rinse & pat it dry before using; that isn’t necessary for this recipe?

    Reply

  25. I really want to try this one. However, I’m allergic to mushrooms. (I know…bummer, right? It hit me out of the blue 3 years ago. Prior to that, I loved mushrooms and used them often. Now, I can’t even have broth made with a tiny amount of mushrooms. Sigh)

    What would you suggest I use instead for this recipe?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  26. Hi ! 🙂
    I’m currently eating this recipe and it’s good, but tastes VERY acidic (even with the 2 tablespoons of sweetener)…

    Reply

    • Maybe next time leave out the vinegar because it might not suit your tastes. I use a pretty sweet balsamic myself that’s not very acidic at all. Also the tomatoes you get can change through the year.

      Reply

  27. I tried making this in my Instapot and it kept saying, “Burn”. Twice I emptied the pot and washed the bottom of it, added a bit of water and put it back in. Again, it said, burn. Now I emptied it it into a pot and am cooking it on the stove. What can I do differently in the future??

    Reply

  28. We couldn’t even bring ourselves to eat this, it took me forever to get the smell out of the house, one of the worst smells, cauliflower cooked over a long time is a no no.

    Reply

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