Lentil Bolognese

This rich and hearty lentil bolognese is the ultimate in comfort food. Made with budget-friendly ingredients, this recipe is full of savoury, meaty flavour while being naturally vegan and dairy free. This classic vegetarian pasta dish is sure to be a meal everyone will enjoy!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Australian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 363kcal

Author Sally

Equipment

GreenPan cookware set

Ingredients

1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
200 grams mushrooms see notes
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup tomato paste
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ cup red wine
1 x 400 gram can tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock
1 x 420 gram can brown lentils
300 grams spaghetti
Pepper and additional salt to taste

Instructions

Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Slice the mushrooms, first removing their stems and brushing off any dirt.
Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium to high heat and add the onion. Use a wooden spoon to prevent the onion from sticking. Cook the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and the mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms have reduced in size.
Add the tomato paste, salt, oregano, and basil, and mix until combined. Add the wine, stirring to combine, and then let cook down for about 5 minutes, until it starts to darken in color.
Add the can of tomatoes, vegetable stock, and the can of brown lentils. Mix, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
To serve, mix a little of the Bolognese sauce with the drained spaghetti and serve into bowls with a little more sauce on top.

Notes

Mushrooms: I like to use swiss brown mushrooms, also known as cremini. Otherwise white button mushrooms also work fine.

Lentils: I haven’t tried this recipe with dried lentils as the canned ones are much easier to find, however if that’s all you have, you can try increasing the amount of stock as needed and cooking until they are soft.

Wine: If you don’t want to use wine, just add extra stock, but a deep red wine such as a cabernet or shiraz provides a much richer flavour to the sauce.

This sauce tastes even better the next day once the flavours have had time to develop. You can also freeze any leftover sauce for up to three months. Just reheat the sauce in the microwave or on the stove and serve with freshly cooked pasta.

Nutrition