This comforting lentil bolognese is the ultimate healthy comfort food. It’s loaded with veggies and lentils and can be enjoyed on your favorite pasta, spaghetti squash, or even on its own!
This comforting lentil bolognese you guys…
This is it. the ultimate healthy comfort food!
I don’t know about you, but with the crazy winter weather all I’ve been wanting to do is curl up and enjoy warm and cozy foods, like this comforting lentil bolognese!
Creating this recipe happened pretty spontaneously. I was actually supposed to go out last night until I realized it was freezing rain and I couldn’t actually go anywhere. (I told you…crazy winter weather!)
So I decided what better to do on a freezing rainy night when I’m trapped at home than create a cozy dish that warms the soul.
I have to warn you, this isn’t one of those speedy “quick & easy” recipes that you can just throw together in 15 minutes. (Though if you’re looking for one of those, you can try these 15-minute sesame ginger noodles.)
This comforting lentil bolognese is one of those dishes that just takes time. Time is actually the secret ingredient that makes a bolognese taste so delicious. It allows all the flavors to really come out and creates a sauce that is just so damn good.
The good news is since you’re going to have to open a bottle of red wine anyways for this recipe, you can put on some music, pour yourself a glass, and relax in the kitchen while you cook!
This comforting lentil bolognese is:
Loaded with vegetables
High in protein
Vegan & gluten-free
High in Fiber
Another thing I love about this recipe is that you can make it a day (or a few days) in advance and store it in the fridge so it’s ready to go when dinner comes around.
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PinDescription
A delicious and hearty vegan bolognese loaded with veggies!
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 big carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 portobello mushroom
- 1 red pepper
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 2 cups cooked lentils (I used sprouted lentils)
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 servings pasta of choice (I used gluten-free spaghetti)
Instructions
- Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, mushroom, and pepper to a food processor and chop into small bits.
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium-high heat and add in the chopped vegetables and salt.
- Brown the vegetables in the pan for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. (Do not skip this step! Browing the vegetables is where all the flavor happens!)
- Once the vegetables are browned, add in the wine. Cook on medium heat until the wine evaporates.
- Next, add in the lentils, and crushed tomatoes, and the rest of the seasoning and mix together until well combined.
- Lower the heat to low, add in the water and let cook down for another 20 minutes.
- Serve over your favorite spaghetti or pasta.
Notes
You can also serve this bolognese over spaghetti squash or spiralized zucchini
This bolognese is even better if you make it a day in advance to let the flavors sit
Top with fresh basil or parsley
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 395
- Sugar: 11g
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 68g
- Fiber: 26g
- Protein: 23g
Keywords: lentil bolognese, vegan bolognese, vegan italian recipe
If you love this comforting lentil bolognese you’ll also love this creamy vegan roasted red pepper pasta!
Myriam
February 21, 2018 at 10:22 pmLoved it!
★★★★★
Myriam
February 20, 2018 at 9:59 pmI’ve got this recipe simmering as we speak. It smells great and will be nice way to get the kids to eat more veggies!
Jess
February 21, 2018 at 12:22 amHi Myriam, yum! I hope you and your kids enjoy the recipe!
Maeva @ Cook A Life! by Maeva
January 29, 2018 at 7:50 pmIt looks delicious ! As the years go by, I cannot stand vegetarian food that tastes too much meat food (I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 20 years), I’ve tried other recipes with TSP and don’t really them but never tried with lentils so far and I love lentils, so pinned to try it soon ! 🙂
Jess
January 29, 2018 at 9:11 pmHi Maeva!
I totally understand. I don’t really cook much with “fake meats.” I definitely prefer the natural textures and flavors of the lentils and mushrooms in this recipe. I hope you like it too!
Ela
January 25, 2018 at 10:27 pmThis lentil bolognese looks incredible and I love that you used sprouted lentils. Wonderful recipe, Jess 🙂
Jess
January 26, 2018 at 12:31 amThanks Ela! I actually just ate some more for dinner this evening! Expect tonight I had it over quinoa 🙂