Lentil Bolognese

This savory vegan Lentil Bolognese will be your new favorite way to top pasta! The Bolognese is loaded with veggies, lentils, tomatoes, and plenty of seasonings. This meal is hearty, nutritious, protein-packed, and filling.

Love lentils as much as we do? Try this Lentil Salad, Beef Lentil Soup, and Daal next.

The Best Lentil Bolognese

Lentils have become a favorite in my home, especially in this Lentil Curry or Lentil Soup. I love how economical they are plus they’re packed with protein, making them filling and sustaining. It’s frequently assumed that without meat, a meal won’t have enough protein or be filling enough, so I love that lentils provide so much protein and staying power. Only 1/2 cup of cooked lentils provides about 12 grams of protein!

So while this lentil Bolognese is meat free, it’s still packed with protein and is incredibly hearty. It’s also loaded with veggies and good nutritious ingredients — it’s a meal you just feel good eating!

Ingredients In Lentil Bolognese

• Olive Oil: Used for sautéing vegetables, adds flavor.
• Diced Onion, Carrot, Celery, and Mushrooms: Form the base of the sauce, providing depth and flavor.
• Minced Garlic: Adds aroma and a strong flavor.
• Tomato Paste: Intensifies the tomato flavor in the sauce.
• Dried Herbs (Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Italian Seasoning): Contribute classic Italian flavors.
• Grape Juice and Vegetable Broth Mixture: Adds a blend of sweetness and depth to the sauce.
• Fire-Roasted Diced and Crushed Tomatoes: Provide a smoky flavor and the body of the sauce.
• Brown Lentils: Add texture and protein, acting as a meat substitute.
• Bay Leaves: Offer a subtle, additional flavor.
• Spaghetti: Serves as the base, paired with the sauce.

How To Make Lentil Bolognese

1. Sauté Veggies: Heat olive oil and cook onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms until tender. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute.
2. Add Seasonings: Stir in tomato paste, dried herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Simmer with Grape Juice: Add grape juice; simmer until absorbed.
4. Add Tomatoes and Lentils: Stir in fire-roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, and lentils. Bring to boil, add bay leaves, then simmer covered for 40 minutes. Uncover, simmer until lentils are tender.
5. Cook Pasta: Boil spaghetti in salted water, reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
6. Combine and Serve: Mix pasta with sauce, adjust consistency with pasta water, and serve.

More Vegetarian Meals

• Vegetable Curry
• Vegetable Soup
• Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
• Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito Bowls
• Vegetarian Tacos

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5 from 3 votes

Lentil Bolognese

By Chelsea Lords

This savory (and vegan) Lentil Bolognese will be your new favorite way to top pasta! The Bolognese is loaded with veggies, lentils, tomatoes, and plenty of seasonings. This meal is hearty, nutritious, protein-packed, and filling.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup EACH: diced yellow onion, diced carrot, diced celery
• ▢ 1 container (8 oz.) finely diced cremini mushrooms
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic (~5 cloves)
• ▢ 1/4 cup tomato paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, dried Italian seasoning
• ▢ Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
• ▢ 1/2 cup 100% Concord grape juice
• ▢ 1 can (28 oz.) fire-roasted diced tomatoes (undrained)
• ▢ 1 can (28 oz.) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (undrained)
• ▢ 2 cups vegetable broth
• ▢ 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
• ▢ 3 bay leaves
• ▢ 1 package (16 oz.) spaghetti

Instructions 

• VEGGIES: Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add in the diced onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add in the diced mushrooms and sauté for another 3-5 minutes or until veggies have cooked down and are mostly tender. Add in the garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute.
• SEASONINGS: Add in the tomato paste and all of the seasonings: the dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried Italian seasoning. Season to personal preference (I add 1 and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1 teaspoon pepper). Cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• GRAPE JUICE: Add the grape juice and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 3 -5 minutes.
• TOMATOES: Add the diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes and stir for 1-2 minutes. Next, add in the vegetable broth, and the rinsed/picked over lentils. Bring to a boil and add in the bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until lentils are tender and the sauce has thickened. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as needed. (I typically add another 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt here.)
• PASTA: Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Make sure to generously salt the water (I add 1 teaspoon to every 4 cups of water), since under-salted pasta water will make the whole dish will taste under-seasoned. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and then drain pasta and set aside. Add pasta to a plate or bowl and top with the sauce or emulsify (see next step).
• OPTIONAL EMULSIFY: (see Note 1) Place a portion of the Bolognese sauce in the same pot used to cook the pasta. Add hot drained pasta right on top. Toss the pasta and sauce gently for a couple of minutes, slowly adding reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce thickens and generously coats the noodles. Return this emulsified sauce to the rest of the sauce.
• ENJOY: Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Emulsifying: Emulsifying the pasta is totally optional, but if you're feeling fancy, try it! Toss the finished Lentil Bolognese sauce with reserved pasta water and hot pasta. This is called emulsifying and is one of the secrets to great Italian pasta. It's how you get a luxurious sauce that coats every bit of pasta. More info here  

Nutrition

Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 812mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 871IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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