This comforting Lentil Bolognese is the ultimate healthy comfort food. It’s loaded with veggies and lentils and can be enjoyed on your favourite pasta, spaghetti squash, or even on its own!
A comforting vegetarian bolognese
This recipe for Lentil Bolognese is loaded with flavour and is equally as delicious as a traditional bolognese sauce.
You’ll need to devote a little more time to make this recipe, but what’s the rush anyway? Time is your friend when making a super-rich and flavourful bolognese sauce. And trust me, it’s SO worth it. Time is actually the secret ingredient that makes a bolognese taste so delicious. It allows all the flavours 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 is one of my top dinner recipes to make when I want something hearty and cozy, along with my West African Peanut Stew and Stuffed Pepper Soup.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This dish is the ultimate comfort food. Need I say more?
- It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free and high in protein so it’s a great dish that everyone can enjoy.
- The combinations of salty, sweet, and sour give this sauce incredible flavour.
How to make a Lentil Bolognese
Pulse the veggies in a food processor then add them to a pan or pot to brown. Cook the veggies down for about 15 minutes stirring constantly to prevent them from burning. Don’t rush this step and only cook them for 5 minutes. You want them to really cook down and build flavour.
Next add the red wine. And not just a splash, an entire 3/4 cup of red wine. Again, don’t skip this and use water or broth instead. Red wine is a key ingredient in baking this bolognese taste incredible. Let the wine cook off in the pot.
Now add the lentils, crushed tomatoes and seasoning and let everything cook down. Give it about 20-30 minutes simmering on low. Or if you have the time, let it cook on low for up to an hour. Then use an emulsion blender (or regular blender) and pulse the mixture just slightly to break it down. Don’t over pulse it though! You want to make sure to have texture in your bolognese.
Serve up this bolognese on top of your favourite pasta, some spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, rice, on its own, or however you like!
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- Give the veggies time to brown in the pan. Don’t rush through this step and only cook them for 5 minutes! Browing the veggies builds flavour which is essential for a delicious vegetarian bolognese.
- Don’t replace the red wine in this recipe with water or broth. Red wine is also essential in this dish for making a super flavourful bolognese sauce. Any type of red wine will work.
- French lentils or beluga lentils work best in this recipe. Don’t substitute with red lentils.
- Make sure to remove the bay leaves before blending the sauce! Bay leaves are very tough and it will be unpleasant to eat little chunks of them.
- Only blend the sauce ever so slightly! Don’t go crazy and blend it up into a puree. You want the sauce to still have a nice chunky texture and be able to see some pieces of lentils in there.
- Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge, or freeze leftovers.
Other lentil recipes to try
If you tried this Lentil Bolognese or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
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PinDescription
A delicious and comforting bolognese sauce that is vegetarian/vegan-friendly, gluten-free and packed with flavour!
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 use french lentils)
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- pasta, spaghetti squash, rice…etc. for serving
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 flavour 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 ingredients (except the pasta) and mix together until well combined.
- Lower the heat to low, add in the water and let cook down for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and slightly pulse the sauce with an emulsion blender.
- Serve over your favorite spaghetti or pasta.
Notes
Don’t replace the red wine in this recipe with water or broth. Red wine is essential for a delicious and flavourful bolognese! French lentils or beluga lentils work best in this recipe. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before pulsing the sauce! You don’t want to end up with little chunks of bay leaves mixed in. Only blend the sauce slightly. You don’t want to end up with a puree. You should still have texture and be able to see the lentils in the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 240
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 370mg
- Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 14g
- Protein: 11g
Keywords: vegetarian bolognese, vegan bolognese, healthy bolognese
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Hey! This bolognese looks sooo delicious!! I really want to try it but I don’t really like celery, can I replace it with some other vegetable? Thanks!
Hi Mariana, you don’t taste the celery in the recipe but if you prefer you can just leave it out!
When do you add the lemon juice?
Hi Bri, you add the lemon juice with the rest of the seasoning
What do I do with the parsley? What do I do with the lemon juice?
Hi Derek, you add it in with the rest of the seasoning to the bolognese
Do I cook the lentils first
Hi Lyn-ann, yes you do. it is listed to used cooked lentils in the recipe 🙂
Just made today with Spanish pardina lentils, it really surprised me in good way. I’m trying to find ways for my daughter to get more iron, this is definitely going into my recipe rotation.
Such a great idea for your daughter, I’m glad you loved them! Thanks for the review Paula 😊
This was great! I omitted the sugar because I really am not a fan of sweet, and it turned out awesome! It was still a little sweet for my taste, I think I probably used a sweeter wine. So next time I’ll go with a drier red. But it was still really good! I used green pardina (Spanish) lentils and they held their shape well. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Jerome, happy you liked the recipe!
Made tonight and overall not bad. I found it tasted too sweet for my preference. Would you suggest omitting the brown sugar to get rid of the sweetness? Any suggestions to reduce the sweet taste would be appreciated. I think this would be perfect once I can neutralize that aspect.
Hi Christina, you can omit the brown sugar and try a different brand of tomatoes. some canned tomatoes are sweeter than others
The recipe called for both lemon and brown sugar but instructions didn’t mention where to use it. Bummer to buy those things to not know when to use. Are they considered seasoning?
★★★★
Hi Kiley, the lemon and sugar are part of the seasoning for the sauce and are added into the sauce in step #5!
This recipe was great! I didn’t use sugar though and added a couple of tablesppons of nutritional yeast and crushed red pepper. So yummy! I will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
Nutritional yeast is such a great addition! I’m glad you loved it, Dulce! 🙂
Made this tonight and it was a hit with all 3 kids. Definitely will make it again.
★★★★
Thanks for the review Allison! So happy to hear this recipe is a hit with kids!
Really nice, I added a mild chilli and had it with Spaghetti Squash, which I grew in my garden
★★★★★
Thanks for the review Janice! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. It’s great on spaghetti squash 🙂
Can I freeze this recipe? I want to batch cook…
★★★★★
Hi Claire, yes you can! 🙂
The macros, micros, and fiber content look amazing. I am so excited to test this out.
Thanks Autumn! Hope you enjoy!
AMAZING. Also tastes great under soft scrambled eggs for breakfast. Bonus points if you add white cheddar (for my non vegans) 🧀
★★★★★
Hi CJ, thank you for the review! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Loved it!
★★★★★
I’ve got this recipe simmering as we speak. It smells great and will be nice way to get the kids to eat more veggies!
Hi Myriam, yum! I hope you and your kids enjoy the recipe!
It 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 ! 🙂
Hi 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!
This lentil bolognese looks incredible and I love that you used sprouted lentils. Wonderful recipe, Jess 🙂
Thanks Ela! I actually just ate some more for dinner this evening! Expect tonight I had it over quinoa 🙂