Rich and robust, this vegan Lentil Bolognese is hearty, “meaty” and full of depth of flavor. Toss it with your favorite pasta, or spoon it over creamy polenta- either way, this simple nourishing vegan meal is one the whole family will enjoy. With a video!
Looking for more? Check out our 40 Mouthwatering Vegan Recipes and our 50 Best Vegetarian Recipes!
The last few nights have been chilly here. The air smells of leaves and pine, and woodsmoke from chimneys nearby. It’s getting darker sooner, I’ve got my wool socks on and all I want to eat right now is pasta. And bread! Cozy comfort food.
So this is how this recipe came to be. Brian and I were both craving something rich and “meaty” the other day, something that would hold up to a glass of red wine, all the while staying plant-based. And here it is- Lentil Bolognese!
We made a big pot of this vegan Bolognese and tossed it with pasta the first night, then served over polenta the second night. I can’t decide which way I liked it better. Both were so good!
Lentil Bolognese | 60-sec Video
Ingredients in Lentil Bolognese
- Lentils- the smaller the better! I prefer Black Caviar lentils (or sub-French Green Lentils or Split lentils)
- Onions and garlic – for depth of flavor
- Carrots and celery- for sweetness and complexity
- Fresh oregano or thyme –or substitute 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
- Tomato paste – to add depth and richness
- Red wine -optional, to add complexity
- Fresh tomatoes –or sub canned tomatoes
- Veggie stock -or substitute water plus veggie boullion
- Hemp seeds (or toasted walnuts or pecans) for texture and richness
- Balsamic vinegar – for a punch of flavor and brightness
How to make Lentil Bolognese
Step one
Saute onion in olive oil until fragrant.
Step two
Add carrots, celery and garlic, continue cooking and stirring about 5 minutes. Add herbs and seasonings.
Step three
Add tomato paste, browning it a bit. Deglaze -add a generous splash of red wine and cook this off. (Optional)
Step four
Add tomatoes and their juices.
Add the lentils, hemp seeds or walnut nuts, and broth.
Toasted ground walnuts add really great flavor- but I like the ease of adding the hemp seeds– no grinding necessary!
Keep in mind the smaller the lentils the faster the bolognese will cook! These little black caviar lentils are the best- just 20 minutes of cooking time.
Step five
Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer for 20-30 minutes
Step six
Once the lentils are tender, remove the lid and cook off some of the liquid.
Step seven
Taste and adjust seasonings, and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
Step eight
Serve! Spoon this over creamy polenta, or toss it with your favorite pasta. Keep it vegan if you like or top with parmesan or pecorino cheese.
More recipes you may enjoy
- 50+ Pantry Staples for the Vegan Kitchen
- Vegan Lasagna Bolognese
- Turkey Mushroom Bolognese
- Our 25 BEST Lentil Recipes! (Plus how to cook Lentils)
- Simple Braised French Lentils
- Moroccan Lentil Quinoa Soup
- Easy Healthy Veggie-Driven Pasta Recipes! (Vegan-adaptable)
On the homefront: It’s been a beautiful week here. The leaves are turning, the sun is shining, the birds are singing. Nature doesn’t seem to take notice of what is in the news and all the worldy drama and happenings, it just keeps unfolding in its own time.
Mercury is in retrograde until mid-October, meaning it has the appearance of moving backward in the sky. During this time, some believe this backward motion can disrupt travel, communication and technology. Coincidence, perhaps, but compelling given the events of this week. 😉
And while it is always good to have a healthy dose of cynicism I find this retrograde particularly interesting. How life often mirrors a bigger story. Are we not, after all, made of stars? Lately, on a personal level, I’ve noticed, “signs” directing me to be “patient and wait”, or hold my tongue, or delay a big decision, or to not force things.
When I take heed, things are easier…
I hope you are having a beautiful start to your week friends! Enjoy this recipe for Lentil Bolognese and please share how you serve it or adapt this!
xoxo
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Lentil Bolognese Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: vegan main, pasta,
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Rich and robust, this plant-based Lentil Bolognese is hearty, “meaty” and full of depth of flavor. Toss it with your favorite pasta, or spoon it over creamy polenta- either way, this simple nourishing vegan meal is one the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cup carrots, small diced
- 1 1/2 cups celery diced
- 4–6 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes- optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs)
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- Generous splash red wine (optional) 1/4 cup-ish
- 1 1/4 cup black caviar lentils (or other small lentils- see notes)
- 3 medium tomatoes, diced with juices (or sub a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes)
- 3 1/2 cups veggie stock or broth (or sub water plus 2-3 boullion cubes)
- 3/4 cup hemp hearts, or ground toasted walnuts or pecans
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes stirring until fragrant. Lower heat to medium, then add the carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and herbs. Saute 7-8 minutes, stirring.
- Add the tomato paste, browning it just a bit in the pan (this will deepen the flavor), then deglaze with wine if you want, scraping up any brown bits. Once most of the wine has cooked off add the tomatoes and their juices, cook them down for just a few minutes.
- Add the lentils, veggie stock and hemp seeds or walnuts. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, lower heat to low, and simmer gently 20-25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Uncover.
- Continue cooking uncovered until most of the liquid has cooked off. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, vinegar and chili flakes to your liking. Keep in mind, you want this just slightly salty if tossing with pasta.
- Serve this tossed with your favorite pasta or serve it over this creamy polenta or this Instant Pot Polenta. Sprinkle with optional pecorino cheese… or try this Vegan Cheesy Sprinkle!
Notes
If using hemp- use the shelled soft “hearts”- not the whole seeds ( these will be gritty).
If your veggie broth is bland or your bolognese is bland, you can intensify the depth here by adding a tiny splash of soy sauce, or miso paste mixed with a little water, or a little veggie stock bouillon paste.
Feel free to sub-French Green Lentils or Split Red lentils
This can be made ahead and will keep up to 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 268
- Sugar: 6.4 g
- Sodium: 481.6 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.9 g
- Fiber: 6.6 g
- Protein: 13.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
delicious!
I just made this lentil bolognese for lasagna. I made it as written (but forgot the balsamic vinegar…) and it was perfect! My kids (and I!) absolutely loved it!
Thanks!
Love that idea, so glad you all enjoyed Aly!
What a great recipe! I made it for “New Recipe Sunday” and everyone loved it. The best part is that my meat-eating husband had no idea it was meatless and said it was a repeat meal for sure!
Love it Jo!
Excellent!
Dont you have a cook book
No Robert, not yet. 🙂
One of my favorites from your site – and they’ve all been good. I’ve made a commitment to eat more beans and ordered a bunch from Rancho Gordo which is where these Black Caviar Lentils come from. Tried with both polenta and pasta and loved the polenta most. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
So glad you are enjoying! Love Rancho Gordo beans!
This is a GREAT sauce however if you make the recipe as it is written (1x) you will end up with 3.5 quarts of it lol…
Glad you enjoyed! Perfect for freezing…?!
Delicious!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I cooked it for a friend who is vegan. I followed your recipe to the letter. It was so amazing! This is how I plan to have bolognese from now on. Thank you!
So delighted to hear this Miss E!
Yummy recipe
Yummm! Both my husband and myself enjoyed this recipe. I will be making this again. I didn’t have any tomato paste or tomatoes. I substituted 2 tablespoons of chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
Great idea, glad you enjoyed!
Brought this dish served over the intstapot polenta to a potluck. It was very well received. Flavorful, delicious and healthy!
Great to hear Bev!
So good! I don’t even miss the meat 😯
Nice Lisa!
Just a suggestion: For a real meaty texture + reduction in cooking time, slightly sprout your small lentils first. Plus you don’t get that starchy mushiness. Thanks.
Or if you don’t wish to sprout, you can just use Eston Green Lentils. They are tiny and keep their firmness.
Thanks Sonia! Great suggestions. 🙂
Wow!! This recipe was so meaty and delicious. Even my toddler loved it! 5 stars.
Yum!
Absolutely delicious. Made EXACTLY as stated including the addition of a little miso. Perfect!
Glad you enjoyed this!
I just watched that documentary on Netflix You Are What You Eat and immediately started looking for vegan recipes. So glad I found this site!
Ha! Awesome Susan, so glad you found us!
same!
Another winner! Cold day in Hawaii and I pretty much had everything around. Used regular lentils which I loved with a little more “bite” to them. I only used maybe a 1/3 of a cup because it was just me. Still pretty much used the same amount of everything else. Whole can of fire roasted tomatoes. Had some basil and parmesan to finish on a bed of quinoa. Really just perfect!
Awesome Jodie! So happy you enjoyed!
My husband went vegan no oil due to his heart health issues. I sautéed everything in vegetable broth and used canned lentils instead of dried because it was what I had on hand. According to my former meat and potato guy, this is the best vegan recipe we have found so far!
Love it Laura!
Great recipe! This is my first true vegan meal & it came out very very good. I tossed it into some chickpea pasta & it was delicious! I will most likely add some more herbs & spices the next time I make it but it really is great as is.
Nice to hear TJ!
This was fantastic. I made it exactly as is and my toddler loved it. We loved it too!
Thank so much Lauren!
Delicious (and a great way to get kids to eat hidden veg!). I loved how it turned out. Thanks for such great recipes.
Excellent, always a win when the kids like it!
This is on rotation during the colder months for me. I like to have some in the freezer when pressed for time. Soooo good!
Having some tucked away is the best!
So easy to make and delicious
Awesome to hear!
Way too watery!! It took a very long time for all the water to cook off and get that bolognese texture. Otherwise the flavor was great with homemade pasta noodles to boot!
Glad you liked the texture, not sure why it was watery?