This blog post is kindly sponsored by POMI, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This vegan lentil bolognese loaded with vegetables and mushrooms, is a delicious, healthy and wholesome meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes! It’s a soy-free & nut-free recipe and can be made gluten-free. Perfect for lunch, dinner and meal prep.
Bolognese is one of my favorite sauces for pasta, and I’ve always loved it. Since I created my own meatless version, I make it very often because it’s such a simple meal that is also perfect to make ahead. You can simply cook a big batch of this mushroom and lentil bolognese sauce to freeze in meal sized portions, either for your whole family or as individual single serves. It’s a super easy way to get a healthy meal very fast, if all you need to do is to cook some pasta and defrost some sauce.
Healthy vegan Lentil Bolognese with mushrooms and vegetables
This vegan lentil bolognese with mushrooms is far from traditional and includes a lot of vegetables. I always start with the traditional basic combo of sautéed onion, roasted garlic and some spices for the flavor. Then adding healthy veggies, such as carrots for texture and natural sweetness. (You could also add celery or other veggies if you like). I also added red lentils for plant-based protein (nearly 25 g protein per serving!) and finely chopped mushrooms, which create a ‘meaty’ texture so you definitely won’t miss the meat in this delicious vegan Lentil Bolognese!
Flavorful vegan Bolognese with juicy sun-ripened tomatoes
Another important ingredient for a delicious juicy vegan Bolognese sauce is tomatoes. You can choose between using fresh tomatoes or canned. Since tomatoes are not always in season and to keep it more simple, I personally prefer to use canned tomatoes which have a recyclable package. I like the texture best when mixing puréed tomatoes and chunky tomatoes. Anyways, I always recommend to choose sun-ripened tomatoes, such as the Italian tomatoes from Pomi, because, I think, they have the best flavor.
I hope you all LOVE this meal! It’s:
- Vegan
- Plant-based
- Healthy
- Easy to make
- Flavorful
- Hearty
- Protein-rich and fiber-rich
- Loaded with Vegetables
- So delicious!
The BEST Lentil Bolognese
You can make this cozy vegan lentil bolognese on days when you need a delicious, satisfying and healthy lunch or dinner. It’s a perfect meal when you don’t have much time or when you want to cook for your family or friends. I‘m pretty sure that everyone will love this vegan lentil bolognese, even kids! It’s a great recipe to consume healthy vegetables in a delicious way and so versatile because you can add any vegetables you like. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for the next days (or you can take it to uni/ school/ work), or freeze in batches. Anyways, this Bolognese sauce is really so good that I also love to eat it on its own as a stew. If you’re looking for more delicious pasta recipes, click here. Have fun trying this nourishing recipe and let me know if you liked it!
Lentil Bolognese with Spaghetti (vegan, easy recipe)
Ingredients
For the Lentil Bolognese sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4,4 oz red lentils (125 g)
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 small stick celery (optional)
- 4 oz mushrooms (100 g) chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 9 oz strained tomatoes (250 g) *
- 7 oz chopped tomatoes (200 g) *
- 1 cup vegetable broth (250 ml)
- 2 tsp Italian spices
- 1 tsp raw cane sugar (to taste)
- salt, pepper (to taste)
Further ingredients:
- 9 oz spaghetti (125 g) (optional gluten-free)
- Vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast flakes
- fresh herbs of choice
Instructions
* Please watch the recipe video to see how easy it is!
- Heat oil in a skillet (or pan) over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots, (celery if using), mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms have cooked down and are turning golden, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, spices and garlic. Roast for about 1-2 minutes longer.
- Then add lentils, tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until lentils are done and the bolognese sauce is thickened. Adjust consistency by adding more water if needed. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and spices.
- In the meantime, cook the spaghetti (or other pasta) in salted water until al dente, then drain.
- Serve the lentil bolognese sauce over the spaghetti. Garnish with vegan parmesan cheese or yeast flakes and fresh herbs if you like.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For a lighter option, you can use zucchini noodles, sweet potato noodles or spaghetti squash.
- I used these strained tomatoes and these finely chopped tomatoes.
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Looks good!
But holy frickin’ shit-tits, I had to scroll through a million identical images to get to the god damn recipe.
SKRDELDLPFSSHT!
Because of this recipe, my mom is now obsessed to put celery in every sauce that we make JAJAJAJ THANKS FOR THAT! 10/10
So glad you love this recipe so much! Thank you! 🙂
Really good alternative to using vegan mince products, and tastes absolutely delicious. Brilliant recipe!
So glad you love this recipe! Thank you 😊
My favorite recipe in the World! I made it already for numerous times and it is always delicious! Thank you Bianca for sharing this recipe!
So glad you love this recipe so much! Thank you 🙂
Sehr sehr lecker 😋 und die Zutaten bekommt man auch überall! Habs jetzt schon paar mal gekocht, ist mittlerweile eine meiner Lieblingsspeisen 🙂
Das freut mich sehr zu hören, lieber Alex! Vielen Dank 🙂
So good. A simple, easy to throw together weeknight meal!
So glad you liked it! Thank you 🙂
Super einfach und Mega lecker ❤️
Das freut mich sehr zu hören ? Vielen Dank! <3
Excellent !!! Nothing else to add :-):-)
Thank you 🙂
I love this recipe!! Can you make it in a slow cooker? What do you recommend?
I don’t have a slow cooker but feel free to try it 🙂
Thanks for this recipe and let me share with my wife…!!!
So glad that you liked this recipe! Thank you ?
This recipe (in terms of measurements) is way better than the cookbook version. my question is: ”How many persons does this recipe serve?”
Thank you! It’s mentioned in the recipe that it’ll make 2 servings. 🙂
Das Rezept ist soooo lecker und total easy zu machen…
Danke für s Teilen! Es ist der wahre Beweis, dass vegan viel leckerer und gesünder ?
Das freut mich sehr zu hören, Tina! ?
Ich danke dir! ❤️
I made this recipe a few days ago and it was pretty good. ??
My husband and I both liked it. ?
Love your pictures btw ??
So glad that you liked this recipe! ?
Thank you so much! ❤️
Hello, I do this recipe yesterday and she is easy and really délicious 🙂 I will do it again because my daughter like it too 😉 You can see my picture here if you want : https://www.instagram.com/p/BqmqU7HHxfQ/
Thanks again for this recipe and your beautifull blog 🙂
Cathytutu
Thank you for your feedback! ?
Will check it out.
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
Did you use dried lentils?? I might give it a try tomorrow ?
Yes, of course! Dried red lentils ?
Have fun trying!
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
This recipe looks absolutely incredible, Bianca! I love lentils so much, that’s why I am sure I would adore this vegan bolognese. 🙂
Much love, Ela ❤️
Thank you so much, Ela!
So glad that you like lentils and bolognese too ! ?
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
What a splendid spaghetti plate! ? I’ve never tried to cook anything with lentil but it looks really interesting. Gonna catch some and try this week 😉
– Natalie
Thank you so much, Natalie!
I really love this combo! Hope you’ll like it too. ?
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️