Vegan Lentil Bolognese
This Vegan Lentil Bolognese is rich, flavourful, and packed with veggies! A perfectly cozy pasta dinner that can feed a whole family and is meal prep-friendly.
Watch how to make this Vegan Lentil Bolognese over on my YouTube channel! And don’t forget to subscribe while you’re at it 😉
Ingredients & Inspiration
Before we get into my Vegan Lentil Bolognese, let’s enjoy a quick history lesson! There’s a good chance you’re familiar with— and have maybe even made— spaghetti bolognese. The largely Americanized Italian meat-based tomato sauce, or ragù, is not how it traditionally came to be. Back in the 19th century, ragù alla bolognese originated in Imola, a region near Bologna, Italy, where veal, pancetta, butter, onion, carrot, and celery were slow-cooked into a rich sauce and served with fresh, flat pasta like tagliatelle.
No tomatoes were involved! Which is wild to me. Eventually, when the dish gained popularity in America, tomatoes and ground beef were introduced and the dish evolved into what we now know as bolognese. The rich, tangy, extra flavourful meat sauce that you pile on top of cooked dry spaghetti.
Since we are plant-based here at Steamy Vegan, I’ve got a 100% meat and dairy-free version of the beloved bolognese to share with you and I guarantee it will knock your socks off. We are swapping out the ground beef for rich, buttery chopped walnuts, umami-loaded mushrooms and protein-packed lentils. This trio offers big flavour, tender and chewy bite and all the satisfaction!
Most of these ingredients are likely stocked in your fridge and pantry, which is another reason I love this recipe! Here’s what you’ll need:
- carrots, minced
- celery stalks, minced
- red onion, minced
- garlic cloves, minced
- mushrooms, minced
- walnuts, minced
- tomato paste
- red wine vinegar
- canned crushed tomatoes (or diced)
- cooked/canned brown lentils
- vegetable broth
- nutritional yeast
- Italian seasoning
- balsamic vinegar
- sweetener of choice
- salt and pepper
- chili flakes, optional
- Fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
- oil or water, for sautéing
How to Make Vegan Lentil Bolognese
The really awesome thing about my Vegan Lentil Bolognese is that it’s very ‘choose your own adventure‘. If you have the time for it, it’s the perfect recipe to slow cook throughout the day to let it develop some seriously divine and complex flavours. But if time isn’t on your side, you can still have it on the table in an hour or so, while still being absolutely delicious.
Time saving tip
Recruit the help of a food processor for all the fine chopping tasks of the veggies. It’ll save you at least 10 to 15 minutes of time. Just roughly chop the veggies, individually place them in the food processor and blitz several times until they’re cut into much smaller chunks. Separate each veggie into a different prep bowl. They won’t be pretty like if you minced them with a knife, but it doesn’t matter one bit!
Instructions:
- Heat a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat and warm the oil or water. Once hot, add the minced onion, garlic, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt and pepper (and red chili flakes if you like). Stir often and sauté until veggies are golden brown and softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced mushrooms and walnuts. Stir occasionally and let everything cook down for 5 mins, until the mushrooms have shrunk by about 50%. Add a tbsp of water or veggie broth now and then to deglaze the pan if needed.
- Stir in the tomato paste, the dried basil, oregano and thyme, plus another pinch of salt and pepper until well combined. Cook about 3 mins, stirring to prevent burning.
- To deglaze, stir in the vinegar-water mix and with a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot to release the tasty brown bits stuck to the bottom. Allow the vinegary vapours to cook out for a couple minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, crushed tomatoes, veggie stock, nutritional yeast and another pinch of salt and pepper and chili flakes. Cover with the lid, bring to a low boil then turn down heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta noodles until just al dente, with still some firmness and chew. Reserve a cup of pasta water just in case you need to thin out your sauce as it cooks.
- After the 30 to 35 minutes, stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste it, and add the sweetener, more salt, pepper and chili flakes as needed.
- Remove from the heat, and serve a ladle or two of the sauce over the cooked pasta noodles, tossing together if you like. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or basil, and extra pinch of chhili flakes (optional), and a dusting of vegan parmesan cheese (optional). Enjoy!
slow cooking Tip!
Have the time to slow cook it? Simply transfer the mixture into a slow cooker once combined and slow cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Alternatively, if you don’t want to worry about stovetop transfers, check out the Buydeem slow cooker I used in my YouTube recipe video for this Vegan Lentil Bolognese here! I love that I can do all of the cooking steps, from sautéing to slow cooking all in one pot. Use my code STEAMYVEGAN20 for 20% off!
Bowled Over with Flavour
Whether you cook it for 45 minutes or eight hours, I promise that this Vegan Lentil Bolognese will be one of the most flavourful bowls of pasta you’ll ever eat. And a note to the meat eaters: I promise you won’t even miss the meat in this sauce at all. The texture from the lentils, mushrooms and walnuts is so hearty yet tender, you’ll crave this vegan version again and again!
Love lentils? Check out some of my favourite lentil recipes like this Vegan Lentil Loaf, Lasagna Soup, or Lentil Shepherd’s Pie!
Lastly, if you made any of these recipes and decide to share them on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of recipe videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!
Vegan Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
Method
- Heat a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat and warm the oil or water. Once hot, add the minced onion, garlic, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt and pepper (and red chili flakes if you like). Stir often and sauté until veggies are golden brown and softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced mushrooms and walnuts. Stir occasionally and let everything cook down for 5 mins, until the mushrooms have shrunk by about 50%. Add a tbsp of water or veggie broth now and then to deglaze the pan if needed.
- Stir in the tomato paste, the dried basil, oregano and thyme, plus another pinch of salt and pepper until well combined. Cook about 3 mins, stirring to prevent burning.
- To deglaze, stir in the vinegar-water mix and with a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot to release the tasty brown bits stuck to the bottom. Allow the vinegary vapours to cook out for a couple minutes.
- Stir in the lentils, crushed tomatoes, veggie stock, nutritional yeast and another pinch of salt and pepper and chili flakes. Cover with the lid, bring to a low boil then turn down heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta noodles until just al dente, with still some firmness and chew. Reserve a cup of pasta water just in case you need to thin out your sauce as it cooks.
- After the 30 to 35 minutes, stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste it, and add the sweetener, more salt, pepper, pasta water and chili flakes as needed.
- Remove from the heat, and serve a ladle or two of the sauce over the cooked pasta noodles, tossing together if you like. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or basil, and extra pinch of chhili flakes (optional), and a dusting of vegan parmesan cheese (optional). Enjoy!
