Easy Vegan Lentil Bolognese

Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or avid meat eater, this vegan lentil bolognese is sure to be a hit. It’s a one pot dish that is easy to make, full of flavor and the perfect meal prep recipe.

I’ve had a lot of lentil bolognese in my life. Some good, some great, some not so good and most that just don’t really stand out above the rest.

While I love a good turkey bolognese, this vegan version may just be my favorite to date. This recipe features my favorite Pinot Noir, which adds an incredibly rich flavor and pairs perfectly with the other herbs in the sauce.

This recipe is vegan, gluten free, made in one pot, perfectly flavored, freezer friendly, and loved by both vegans and meat eaters (same with these lentil meatballs!). There are a few key ingredients and techniques that make this recipe better than the others (no offense to the others), and I promise you will LOVE it.

Pasta is my go-to when I’m feeling happy, sad, anxious, nervous, excited, angry, good, bad and everything in between. If you love this recipe, try my roasted carrot pasta or vegan vodka pasta next!

Before we get started!

• Red lentils will not work here! Brown, French or green work best.
• Any red wine will work, I used Pinot Noir.
• This recipe stores well in the fridge for about 5 days.

How to make vegan lentil bolognese

This recipe is easy to make and all done in just one pot! The first step is to finely chop the onion and garlic and add to a large pot or dutch oven. 

Saute with the olive oil for about 5 minutes or until the onion begins to look translucent. Add in the peeled and chopped carrot and diced celery. 

Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the veggies soften and brown slightly on the bottom. Avoid stirring too often because the browning is what gives lots of flavor to the sauce. 

Stir in the wine, and let simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed. This should turn the veggies purple. Once all of the wine is absorbed, add all remaining ingredients. Stir well to incorporate and bring to a low boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the lentils are fully cooked.

Stir about 3 times throughout to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom and the lentils cook evenly. You want to keep the heat on low to ensure the liquid doesn’t cook off before the lentils get a chance to cook. 

About halfway through, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.

After about 30 minutes, the sauce should be thick and the lentils cooked. If the lentils aren’t cooked well but the sauce is thick, add in another 1 cup of broth and simmer, covered, until cooked.

If the lentils are cooked but the sauce looks too thin, let it simmer for about 5 minutes with the lid off to allow some liquid to evaporate.

Discard the bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Add more salt, pepper, or any additional herbs if desired.

Use an immersion blender to very lightly puree the sauce. You definitely don’t want to completely puree the sauce, there should be plenty of texture, but blending slightly gives it a really nice texture.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer about 2 cups worth of sauce (more if you prefer) to a regular blender and pulse until broken up. Serve the sauce over pasta with fresh chopped basil, parsley and cashew parmesan.

Flavor tips

The longer you let the sauce simmer for, the more flavorful it gets. Time is your friend when making this recipe, so don’t rush! Give the lentils a good 30 minutes to cook, simmer and soak up the flavor from the other ingredients.

The wine is an essential ingredient for flavor. I love pinot noir because it’s perfect for drinking and cooking and works perfectly in a rich red sauce like lentil bolognese.

You want to give the flavors a chance to come together, so I don’t recommend taking any shortcuts! Pour yourself a glass of your favorite Pinot Noir and enjoy it while you wait!

Add more veggies or mushrooms!

While I think this lentil bolognese is perfect as is, there are other ways you can spruce it up! You can add in some diced mushrooms with the carrots and celery, or some finely chopped walnuts when you add in the tomatoes.

I like to keep the focus on the lentils, but mushrooms and walnuts are a great addition to a vegan bolognese.

Hungry for more? Try these!

• Lemon Pasta Salad
• Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
• Red Beans and Rice
• Gluten Free Pizza Crust

If you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation!

5 from 9 votes

One Pot Vegan Lentil Bolognese

by: claire cary

Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or avid meat eater, this lentil bolognese is sure to be a hit. It’s a one pot dish that is easy to make, full of flavor and the perfect meal prep recipe.

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Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

6

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 16 ounces uncooked gluten free spaghetti or regular
• ▢ 1 large white or yellow onion diced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
• ▢ 1 stalk celery diced
• ▢ ½ cup Pinot Noir or other red wine
• ▢ 28 ounce can plain tomato sauce
• ▢ 15 ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
• ▢ 1 ½ cups dried brown, green, or french lentils
• ▢ 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dried basil or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ▢ 1-1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ 2 large bay leaves
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes more if you like it spicy
• ▢ Black pepper to taste
• ▢ Fresh basil for garnish

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Finely chop the onion and garlic and add to a large pot or dutch oven. 
• Saute with the olive oil for about 5 minutes or until the onion begins to look translucent. 
• Add in the peeled and chopped carrot and diced celery. 
• Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the veggies soften and brown slightly on the bottom. 
• Stir in the wine (don’t skip it! it’s key for flavor), and let simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed, or reduced by at least 50%.
• Once all of the wine is absorbed, add all remaining ingredients. 
• Stir well to incorporate. Bring to a low boil.
• Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the lentils are fully cooked. Stir roughly every 10 minutes throughout to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom and the lentils cook evenly. You want to keep the heat on low to ensure the liquid doesn’t cook off before the lentils get a chance to cook. 
• About halfway through, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
• After about 30 minutes, the sauce should be thick and the lentils cooked. If the lentils aren’t cooked well but the sauce is thick, add in another 1 cup of broth and simmer, covered, until cooked.
• Discard the bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Add more salt, pepper, or any additional herbs if desired.
• Use an immersion blender to very lightly puree the sauce. You definitely don’t want to completely puree the sauce, there should be plenty of texture, but blending slightly gives it a really nice texture.
• If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer about 2 1/2 cups worth of sauce to a regular blender and process until mostly smooth, then add back to the pot and stir.
• Serve the sauce over pasta with fresh chopped basil, parsley and cashew parmesan. 

Notes

If your vegetable broth is not low sodium, I recommend cutting back on the salt to 1/2 tsp and then only adding more at the end after you taste it. 

If the lentils are cooked but the sauce isn’t as thick as you would like, whisk in 1-2 tbsp of flour and let simmer for an additional 2 minutes. This will thicken the sauce, but I promise it won’t give any sort of weird texture! 

This recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, but it stores really well in the fridge and is even freezer friendly! It will keep in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months.

The longer you let the sauce simmer for, the more flavorful it gets. Time is your friend when making this recipe, so don’t rush! You want to give the flavors a chance to come together. Save some extra wine and have a glass while you cook!

Serving: 1bowl, with pasta / Calories: 523kcal / Carbohydrates: 78g / Protein: 24.4g / Fat: 6.9g / Fiber: 12.4g / Sugar: 8.5g

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