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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Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked spaghetti
- 1 large white or yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 stalk celery
- ½ cup Erath 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 veggie broth
- 2 tsp dried basil or 3 tbsp chopped fresh
- ¾ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1-1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 large bay leaves
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes more if you like it spicy
- Black pepper to taste
- Fresh basil or parsley for garnish
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.
- 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
