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
Hi there, I’m just curious to know if your nutritional chart is per serve or per meal? thank you 😁
It’s an estimation but it’s per serving
can I use canned lentils?
Yes! Make sure to drain and rinse them first, and know that the cook time will be much less.
Made it. I loved the heat from the crushed red peppers and tomatoes. I felt like there were too many lentils. Next time I’d use between 1/3cup or 1/2cup. Also the cook time on the lentils was way longer than the recipe called for. I think having less lentils would help lower the cook time too.
Do the lentils need to be paired with another food to make a complete protein? I read that they need to be paired with rice.
I’ve never heard that before, but you can absolutely serve this over rice if you’d like.
I cooked the lentils for 35 min and they were still too hard? What am I doing wrong?
Though I’ve never needed to do this, you can certainly soak the lentils in a bowl of water ahead of time next time, which will help them cook more quickly.
I detest mushrooms. If I leave them out, how does this recipe fair? Or. Should I replace them with something else, if so, what would you suggest? Thanks
Great question! You could try substituting carrots instead. The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious! Either dice them up really small or shred the carrots.
You can freeze the pasta as well as the sauce? How is the texture once it’s thawed?
I wouldn’t freeze the pasta, just the bolognese sauce. The sauce texture should be just fine after you thaw it!
This is probably a silly question but, do I use uncooked lentils? I bought canned lentils for this recipe but based on the instructions it seems like it’s suppose to be uncooked.
Yes, they’re supposed to be uncooked. However, you can totally use canned lentils — you just won’t have to simmer them for nearly as long since they’re already cooked 🙂
Flavors are great but you should advise starting the pasta later in the process.
Excellent dish for first time cooking with & eating lentils! Will definitely make again.
Thanks for the comment, Paige — so happy you enjoyed the recipe!