Lentil Bolognese (Printer-Friendly)

Hearty meat-free Italian pasta sauce with protein-packed lentils and aromatic vegetables in a rich tomato base.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Base

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large onion, finely diced
03 - 2 carrots, finely diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, finely diced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Sauce

06 - 1.5 cups dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
07 - 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
08 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
09 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
10 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
11 - 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - 3.5 cups vegetable broth
14 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ To Serve

15 - 12 oz spaghetti or preferred pasta
16 - Fresh basil or parsley, chopped (optional)
17 - Grated Parmesan or vegan alternative (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for 7 to 8 minutes until softened and fragrant.
02 - Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic, being careful not to burn.
03 - Add lentils, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, paprika, and bay leaf. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender and sauce reaches desired thickness.
05 - Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
06 - While the sauce simmers, cook pasta according to package instructions in a medium pot of salted boiling water. Drain thoroughly in a colander.
07 - Portion pasta into serving bowls and top with lentil bolognese. Garnish with fresh herbs and cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes so rich and deep that nobody will miss the meat, which is kind of the whole point.
  • Lentils give you real staying power, so you're not hungry again an hour later.
  • The whole thing comes together in under an hour, making weeknight dinners feel way less stressful.
02 -
  • The first time I made this, I didn't rinse the lentils and spent the whole meal crunching on grit, so rinse them properly under cool running water.
  • If you use red lentils thinking they'll speed things up, your sauce will break down into mush instead of holding those tender little pockets of lentil texture, so stick with brown or green.
03 -
  • Dice your vegetables small and uniform so they soften evenly and dissolve slightly into the sauce, creating body without needing meat.
  • Taste the sauce at the very end and adjust seasoning aggressively, because lentils can sometimes taste flat until you hit them with salt and a squeeze of acid.
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