Quick & Easy 8 Ingredient Lentil Bolognese Recipe
If you miss having “meaty” spaghetti bolognese every Sunday that tastes like a grandmother made it, don’t worry- I’ve got you covered. This easy lentil bolognese uses just 8 simple pantry ingredients and comes together in just over 30 minutes. It’s rich, hearty, and has a beautiful depth of flavor that you wouldn’t believe plants could achieve!
Table of contents
Your new favorite Sunday sauce recipe
It’s been a long time coming, and well worth the wait. The lentil bolognese recipe that needs to make its way into your weekly dinner rotation stat.
It’s rich, deliciously “meaty” and full of flavor that just makes you think, “This is comfort in a bowl.” And you really only need a few pantry ingredients that any kitchen would have, vegan or not (though if you’re new to veganism, check out my grocery list for vegans!).
Next to my lentil meatballs, vegan lentil meatloaf, and vegan lasagna, this vegan bolognese is a true celebration of all that plants can do- and perhaps even better than its traditional counterparts 😉
Why this lentil bolognese works:
It’s quick & easy: We’re talking 8 pantry-staple ingredients and just over 30 minutes to make (okay, 35 minutes to be exact). All you need is:
- Onion & garlic: The main flavor carriers that will provide extra interest to the dish (and what truly comes through with an authentic bolognese recipe).
- Carrot & celery: Like any traditional, authetnic bolognese recipe, we have these veggies finely chopped to intensify the flavor.
- Red wine: If you don’t drink alcohol, not a problem. The measurements are listed below for a red wine vinegar option instead (which is nonalcoholic).
- Lentils: I use a mixed lentil blend from TruRoots to get a variety of textures, as each lentil variety has its own texture. This will help with the “meatiness” of the dish. The lentils will also be soaked too, so that they cook faster and more thoroughly in the sauce (rather than boiling them first!).
- Dairy free milk: You can use coconut milk, vegan heavy cream, or just a simple almond milk or oat milk. I loveee my homemade oat milk. It truly uses just oats, water, and a pinch of salt for the creaminess and flavor.
- Marinara sauce: This is where we’re cheating big time. Instead of taking hours for all of the flavors to fully infuse into a from-scratch sauce, we’re skipping to a high quality classic. I love Seggiano- that’s my go-to.
Then of course, there’s salt and pepper, along with the pasta. And if you want to finish the dish, I grate a bit of vegan parmesan on top!
It makes enough for a crowd: Have a large gathering or want leftovers? This is your dish. I will make this on a Sunday night for my husband and I, and we’ll have leftovers until Wednesday. It’s amazing.
This is a nut-free, soy-free dish: No tofu crumbles, no walnuts, just a few simple pantry ingredients that can easily suit allergy needs.
It’s a true foodie’s bolognese, yet designed for the beginner cook: You don’t need to be highly skilled in the kitchen to make this start to finish and have a dish thats tastes restaurant-worthy. Or at least “Nonna’s secret recipe” worthy. You’ll be making this lentil bolognese on repeat!
But can I make this recipe gluten free?
Absolutely- the only ingredient that needs to be gluten-free is the pasta. I love Jovial Foods gluten-free options for pastas. The don’t have a tagliatelle or parpardelle that’s gluten-free, which I love for lentil bolognese. But their gluten-free spaghetti is impeccable.
This is REALLY different from authentic bolognese sauce…explain yourself.
Okay, guilty. A true, traditional meaty authentic bolognese sauce requires at least an hour to cook, ideally 6 hours. But seeing as traditional bolognese includes meat (and no garlic, whoops!), and we’re already breaking that rule….I thought we could break a few more 🙂
We’re not telling Nonna (seriously, I didn’t tell her- I just served it to her!) because honestly, with these few and simple tricks, the flavor will be so intense and rich, you’ll be thanking me you weren’t waiting 6 hours for your vegan dinner!
Step-by-Step Instructions:
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
Step One: Cook the veggies. Make sure that the lentils have soaked for at least 30 minutes in water, but preferably overnight. The longer they soak, the easier it will be for them to cook fast and absorb as much flavor as possible.
Finely chop and mince the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. For ease, you can place all into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Then we’ll cook with oil 7-10 minutes, stirring every so often to prevent burning on the pan. While the vegetable mixture is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta.
Step Two: The sauce. Once the onions are translucent and fragrant, and the carrots and celery are soft, pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan. This simply means that the brown bits will be easily removed with the addition of an acidic liquid (the acid also helping to balance the flavors. Remember, salt, acid, fat = flavor heaven!).
Then pour in the marinara, followed by the dairy free milk. You can season with salt and pepper here. Stir to combine bring to a boil and add in the lentils. Stir again, then reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot to let the sauce cook for 10 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, you can add the pasta to the boiling water to cook until al dente, following the instructions on the box for your desired pasta.
Step three: Toss the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce, along with the water, and toss the sauce and pasta together to evenly coat.
Step four: Serve and enjoy! Serve the lentil bolognese with freshly grated vegan parmesan or vegan mozzarella and freshly chopped herbs, like parsley and basil. Enjoy!
How to properly serve bolognese sauce:
I don’t know how the trend started, but somehow, somewhere, someone said it was okay to serve cooked, plain pasta with a GLOB of sauce on top.
NOPE.
My great grandpa always told me, you add the pasta al dente to the sauce before you serve. Toss the pasta in it so that the pasta not only cooks slightly more in the sauce. But the sauce will also cling better to the pasta and add flavor to it as well.
What to serve with lentil bolognese:
Now, I can easily devour a large bowl of this lentil bolognese. But if you want to make it a meal, this is what I’m usually serving alongside it:
- My quick 15 minute vegan garlic bread
- Easy garlic rosemary focacccia
- Or a side salad with my favorite vegan caesar salad dressing
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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
PrintQuick & Easy 8 Ingredient Lentil Bolognese Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
If you miss having “meaty” spaghetti bolognese every Sunday that tastes like a grandmother made it, don’t worry- I’ve got you covered. This easy lentil bolognese uses just 8 simple pantry ingredients and comes together in just over 30 minutes. It’s rich, hearty, and has a beautiful depth of flavor that you wouldn’t believe plants could achieve!
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked lentils, soaked overnight
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 7 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) red wine*
- 1 (24-ounce) jar store-bought marinara
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) dairy free milk or vegan heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pound spaghetti, tagliatelle, etc., cooked, for serving
- Freshly grated vegan parmesan cheese or vegan mozzarella, for serving
Instructions
- Prep: Make sure that the lentils have soaked for at least 30 minutes in water, but preferably overnight. The longer they soak, the easier it will be for them to cook fast and absorb as much flavor as possible. Once soaked, you’ll drain the lentils and set aside. Finely chop and mince the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. For ease, you can place all into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.
- Heat: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Once hot, add in the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Stir to coat in the oil, then cover to cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring every so often to prevent burning on the pan. While the vegetable mixture is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta.
- Deglaze: Once the onions are translucent and fragrant, and the carrots and celery are soft, pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan. Then pour in the marinara, followed by the dairy free milk, and bring to a boil. Add in the presoaked lentils and stir. You can season with salt and pepper here.
- Cook: Stir to combine then reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot to let the sauce cook for 10 minutes. The lentils should be soft once done cooking. While the sauce is cooking, you can add the pasta to the boiling water to cook until al dente, following the instructions on the box for your desired pasta.
- Coat: Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce, along with the water, and toss the sauce and pasta together to evenly coat.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve the lentil bolognese with freshly grated vegan parmesan or vegan mozzarella and freshly chopped herbs, like parsley and basil. Enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Lentils: You can soak the lentils just 30 minutes before making this dish, but it will cook much faster if the lentils are soaked overnight.
Red wine: For a non-red wine version, you can use 1/2 cup (118 mL) water mixed with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar. It will do the same trick!
Dairy free milk: I like oat milk, almond milk, cashew cream, or a vegan heavy cream here. Most often, I’m using oat milk, which I almost always have on hand.
Gluten free: Use a gluten-free pasta brand here. I really like Jovial Foods gluten-free spaghetti!