Lentil Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is such a classic Italian dish, and this is our favourite vegetarian version that uses store cupboard staples. This Lentil Bolognese recipe (or lentil ragu as it is sometimes know as) is still packed with protein and flavour, but uses lentils instead of meat. A really rich and comforting sauce that goes perfectly with pasta. It's vegan and freezes really well, making it perfect for batch cooking.

We love comfort food, but that doesn't have to mean meat. Vegan and vegetarian food can be super comforting too, especially when it contains lentils. This is healthy comfort food at its finest.

Loaded with veggies, easy to adapt and even meat eaters will enjoy it! It has so much flavour, you really won't miss the meat. Whilst this isn't the quickest dish to make, it's worth cooking it low and slow for that intense flavour.

Jump to:

• Why should you try it?
• Step by step
• What lentils to use
• What vegetables to use
• What to serve this with
• FAQs
• Extra tips
• More lentil recipes
• Recipe

Why should you try it?

Step by step

One: Put a little oil in a large pan and add the onion, garlic, carrot and mushrooms and gently sweat for 12 minutes.

Two: Add the dried lentils, canned tomatoes, basil, tomato purée, stock and balsamic and stir. Simmer for 20 minutes.

What lentils to use

We used red lentils, because we like a nice smooth and creamy sauce. Red lentils tend to break down and become a bit mushier when cooked over time.

However, if you prefer them to hold their shape then use puy (green) lentils instead. Cooking times may vary though.

What vegetables to use

Lentil bolognese is a great opportunity to add lots of vegetables and there are loads of options. We used onion, mushrooms and carrot. However you could chop up some bell peppers, aubergine, broccoli or courgette. Try to go for softer quick cooking vegetables.

You could give this bolognese a green boost by stirring in some spinach before serving.

What to serve this with

We have served this lentil bolognese with linguine, however tagliatelle or pappardelle would work too. You want to use a thick pasta, as this sauce will really cling to it. You can use any pasta though, and it also makes a good Bolognese Pasta Bake.

We try to always make sure we have leftovers, and it goes really well on a baked potato, rice or even nachos.

FAQs

Extra tips

• Give the vegetables plenty of time to cook and don't rush this step, as you want them to be nice and soft.
• Make this sauce even richer with a glug of red wine.
• To keep this vegan, use a vegan Parmesan alternative.
• You can make this quicker by using pre-cooked lentils.
• You can swap the dried basil or dried oregano.
• Use the best quality canned tomatoes you can, as you will taste the difference. Cheaper one will be watery. The same goes for the balsamic vinegar - the better quality one will make a much nicer sauce.
• We used a can of cherry tomatoes, however you can use chopped or plum tomatoes.
• If you want a smoother sauce, you could blend the vegetables and then add them back to the pan before adding the lentils.
• Add some extra flavour by cooking a bay leave with this (remember to take it out before serving).
• You can get an even smoother sauce by blending half of everything and then adding it back to the pan.
• If the sauce is too thick, then reserve some of the pasta water when draining and add it to the bolognese to thin it out to your desired consistency.
• Give the sauce a kick of heat by sprinkling some chilli flakes on top before serving.

More lentil recipes

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Recipe