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There’s nothing better than a big bowl of pasta covered in thick, tasty bolognese sauce. For a lot of us, this classic italian dish takes us back to family dinners, cozy kitchens and that mouthwatering smell of simmering sauce. But today, I wanna share a plant-based spin on this comfort food fave: a vegan lentil bolognese thats just as hearty and flavourful as the original but packed with good-for-you ingredients.
Instead of regular ground meat, this recipe uses red lentils to get that same yummy texture and richness, plus extra plant protein and fiber. The lentils bubble away with aromatic veggies and tomatoes to build a depth of flavour that’s rich and satisfying – perfect for spooning over pasta. It’s a dish that feels indulgent yet light, and easy enough to whip up on a busy weeknight or meal prep and enjoy all week long and whether you’re a longtime vegan or just looking to work more plant fare into your meals, this Vegan Lentil Bolognese will fast become your go-to.
Red Lentils
Red lentils are the best option for vegan bolognese because they get tender fast, not like other tougher lentils that keep their shape. These red guys basically melt into the sauce real nice, making it thick and creamy like a classic meat sauce but without the meat! They are highly nutritious being packed in fiber, iron, and folate and they sweeten up the tomatoes perfectly, adding lots of protein too so a bowl of this stuff sticks to your ribs. They also have this mild, earthy flavour that kinda soaks up whatever spices or veggies you throw in. Makes a good base for letting the garlic, onions, tomatoes and all that jazz shine through into a real savoury sauce. Plus they’re easy to find and don’t cost much and good to keep around since they last awhile.
So yeah, red lentils can make for some mighty fine eating. Whether it’s the flavour or nutrition or price, they definitely have something good going on about them.
A quick note before you start: this vegan lentil bolognese recipe might seem a little complicated at first glance with its long list of ingredients. But don’t worry! I promise it’s easier to make than it looks. Most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry too. Each one adds important flavours that make this sauce so hearty and delicious – it will be so worth it. Sure, there’s some chopping and prep work involved. But once you got everything ready to go, this sauce comes together pretty smoothly. And that first tasty bite with the rich complex flavours will make all that effort pay off.
VEGAN LENTIL BOLOGNESE
Description
This vegan lentil bolognese uses nutrient-packed red lentils as the base, with finely diced carrots, celery, pecans and onions mixed in for extra flavour. You simmer everything in tomatoes for a rich, aromatic sauce.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Soak the 2 cups of lentils in water for up to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, prep all the other ingredients (chop the celery, onions, carrots, garlic, pecans, etc.)
- Heat a Dutch oven or a deep sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and sauté the the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Add the spice mixture, one bay leaf and cook for a few more minutes mixing everything together.
- Stir the tomato paste into the pot and let it cook for a few minutes until it caramelises and turns a darker red. Just make sure to stand there and stir it constantly so it doesn’t burn.
- This is the time you don’t make the same mistake as me. Make sure you add the celery and carrots before the lentils. I accidentally added the lentils before and had to let it cook for more time. Cook for 6-10 minutes, until the veggies soften.
- Add the lentils, pecans and mushrooms and mix everything together ensuring everything is well incorporated. Also add one more bay leaf and cook until softened. Stir frequently.
- Add the veggie broth, the peeled crushed tomatoes, the nutritional yeast, the coconut milk and the lemon juice. Cook everything for about one hour, tasting and stirring occasionally.
- Remove the bay leaves. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings as needed, adding more salt, pepper, or extra herbs to your preference.
- This step is optional: at the end add the maple syrup (or sugar) and vinegar and mix it in the sauce.
- Give the sauce a quick blend with an immersion blender, just for a few seconds to slightly smooth it out without fully pureeing. You want to keep plenty of chunky bits for texture—just enough blending to create a thick, hearty consistency.
- Serve it over your favourite pasta, like spaghetti or penne. It’s also fantastic spooned over roasted vegetables, rice, baked potatoes, or as a cozy filling for a lasagna.
Video
Notes
- This freezes wonderfully for up to 3 months – store in an airtight container. It also keeps up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Using Fresh Tomatoes: if you have an abundance of fresh tomatoes you can use those instead of canned ones. Just blanch and peel them first, chop them up, then cook them down until nice and thick. Keep in mind it might take more simmering time to get the sauce to the consistency you want since fresh tomatoes have more water.
- Low and Slow: be patient and let it simmer as long as you can, stirring now and then. Taste it periodically while it simmers so you can tweak the seasoning, but the longer it cooks the richer it will get and hours of gentle simmering gives you a more flavourful sauce.
- When prepping the pecans for this bolognese recipe, make sure to chop them super fine so they basically turn into crumbs. You want the pieces tiny enough that they mix in totally smoothly with the sauce, instead of getting random big chunks of nuts. You can also use walnuts instead of pecans.
