Lentil Bolognese
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This rich and hearty Lentil Bolognese is easy to make in less than 1 hour. With layers of savory flavors and meaty, tender lentils in every bite, it’s perfect served over pasta for quick, budget-friendly, and filling weeknight dinners.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
Vegan twist on bolognese – This plant-based bolognese recipe is faster than your classic slow-simmered Italian bolognese sauce, but it’s just as flavorful and meaty.
Less than 1 hour! The sauce comes together in under 1 hour, making it perfect for quick vegetarian weeknight dinners.
Protein-packed – Those lentils fill each serving with approximately 17 grams of plant protein!
Table of Contents
Turns out I’m a big fan of making bolognese sauce with lentils. Yes, I love my classic rigatoni bolognese, but this Lentil Bolognese recipe uses simple, affordable plant-based ingredients to put a twist on the traditional Italian sauce.
The texture of the cooked lentils does a great job of mimicking ground beef, and the cooked aromatics and simple seasonings bring rich and hearty layers of flavor to every scoop. My favorite way to serve it is over a bowl of cooked gluten-free pasta with freshly baked vegan garlic bread on the side. Yum!
I made this last night! So good! It made so much I’ll have it for a few days (which I am not sad about) 🩷
– Tracey
Vegan Bolognese Sauce Ingredients
Green or brown lentils – Opt for dried green or brown lentils for the meatiest and most tender texture. Black (beluga) lentils might work as well, but I haven’t tried them.
Fresh aromatics – The foundation of savory flavor comes from sautéed yellow onion, garlic cloves, and white mushrooms.
Simple herbs and spices – All you need is dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Pasta sauce – Use your favorite kind! I love using a spicy tomato sauce, like an arrabbiata sauce. It gives the sauce even more flavor. My cherry tomato sauce would also be good here.
This list is to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See recipe card below for the full ingredient list.
Variations
- Use canned lentils instead of dried lentils. Reduce the water to 1 cup and stir the lentils into the sauce at the end, adding more water as needed.
- Mild version – Use a more traditional tomato sauce and omit the red pepper flakes.
- Mushroom substitute – Shredded carrots work just as well!
- Stir in fresh basil leaves at the end for a burst of fresh flavor.
How to Make Lentil Bolognese Sauce
Step 1: Cook the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the onion and mushrooms. Cook until softened.
Step 2: Add the flavor. Stir in the garlic, oregano, red pepper, salt, and pepper.
Optional flavor boost: If your pan is looking a little dry, deglaze it with a splash of vegan-friendly red wine. It’s a great way to lift those stuck aromatics from the bottom and add more complex flavors to the sauce.
Step 3: Add the rest. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, lentils, and water to the skillet. Cover with a lid and simmer until the lentils are cooked.
Step 4: Serve. Serve the lentil bolognese over cooked pasta and sprinkle additional red pepper flakes and vegan parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!
Erin’s Tips and Tricks
- I recommend making the sauce in a large skillet, as the lentils will cook faster and more easily.
- The cook time can vary depending on the size of your skillet and the type of lentils you use. Don’t be afraid to check the texture of the lentils a few times and add more water when it’s needed!
- If the lentils aren’t tender and chewy after 20 minutes, add another cup of water and continue simmering until they’re soft.
- Serve your lentil bolognese over cooked regular or gluten-free pasta (pappardelle noodles are the best), or with cooked spaghetti squash. You can also top it with these lentil meatballs for double the protein!
My Pro Tip
Green or Brown Lentils Are Best
I’ve made this recipe with red lentils and didn’t like how they fell apart and made the sauce mushy. Dry green or brown lentils are the best for lentil bolognese. They’re tender, chewy, and meaty, almost like what you’d get in a traditional bolognese made with ground meat.
Storage
Refrigerator: Once the sauce is cool, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Lentil bolognese freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating: Add the sauce to a large pot with 3/4 cup of water and bring it to a gentle simmer over low-medium heat until it’s warmed through.
More Easy Vegan Pasta Recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Lentil Bolognese
Video
Ingredients
- .75 lb. favorite pasta, regular or gluten free
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup white mushrooms, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 14 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 24 oz. favorite pasta sauce
- 1 cup dried lentils (green or brown), rinsed
- 3 cups water, or more (see notes)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta on the stove according to the package instructions.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until they're soft. Add the garlic, oregano, red pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Next, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, lentils, and water and stir to combine. Place a lid on the skillet, heat the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer the sauce for 18-20 minutes. Taste the sauce and check the texture of the lentils; if they're not tender and chewy, simmer for an additional 10-20 minutes or until they're soft, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed.
- Serve the lentil bolognese over cooked pasta, sprinkle with additional red pepper flakes (& vegan or regular parmesan cheese) and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Great recipe! I added smoked paprika and it was delicious. Thanks for this.
I made this as written with a few additions. I added 1 whole vidalla onion chopped and 8 ounces of baby Bella mushrooms chopped. I also added 2 TB of tomato paste to the vegetables. I brought the lentils and sauce to a boil and then reduced to low for 40 minutes covered and then uncovered for 10 minutes. The lentils were cooked nicely and this was not watery at all…..possibly due to the additional vegetables and the increased cook time. This was a wonderful dish that everyone in my family loved. Thanks for sharing.
Love the additions your made, and so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Hello. The picture looks amazing. I would love to try to make this. Due to the comments about this being too watery due to the water needed to cook the lentils……….should I cook the lentils in a separate pot and then just add them in at the end without adding additional water to the recipe to prevent this from being watery?
Hi! You can if you want to… I’ve made this several times and never had that issue. If you want, you could start with just 2 cups of water, and then make sure to stir occasionally and if the lentils aren’t cooked after 20 minutes then I’d add the extra 1/2 cup water. Give that a try and let me know how it turns out!
I unfortunately found this to be way too watery – the diced tomatoes have water in the can and the amount extra water created a soup. It didn’t thicken up even after over 20 mins of simmering. Could this be changed to only 1 cup of water? Delicious flavor but sadly not thick enough.
Hi Jasmine — I’m so sorry this didn’t work out. Did you stir it occasionally while it was simmering? That should help it to thicken. Typically without adding the extra water, the lentils won’t cook.
You can’t beat a classic spag bol! I agree about only using green or brown lentils. I make mine with green lentils and they stay nice and firm. Looking forward to giving your version of a vegan bolognese a try 🙂
aS A Diabetic i was not able to make this as the carbohydrate count was too high.What might you suggest.
Maybe “Zoodles” …. zucchini cut into ribbons/noodles to replace the pasta?
Yeah, you probably want to skip meals with pasta.
I cheated a lil bit and added pork and beef. But you’ll be proud that I used the mushrooms. This was my first time trying this and in fact, I’d never heard of it. Isn’t it amazing how food brings culture together! I also used tri colored pasta for fun. Very easy. Very delicious. Thanks!
This was a lovely meal and everyone enjoyed it could only get normal tin chopped tomatoes. I will be making this again .
Thanks Laura–glad it was a hit!
I have a lot of recently ripened Roma tomatoes I need to use up. Could I use those and what extra spices do I need to add?
Yes you could use those! I don’t think you’ll need to add extra spices.. maybe just a little extra salt and/or red pepper flakes.
This was delicious! It was an easy prep too. I used Raos Marinara. I wanted to
make it spicy but I knew my littles
one wouldn’t like it so I just added red pepper flakes to
mine. I would make this again!