Lentil Bolognese
Brown lentils, once simmered, have a texture remarkably like mince, and finely chopped mushrooms add that savoury, meaty note. We give the soffritto — onion, carrot and celery — plenty of time to soften slowly in olive oil, because that’s where a bolognese gets its depth. The sauce is thick, clings to spaghetti and is even better the next day.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 h 10 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 610 kcal
Ingredients
For the sauce
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What to use instead
Check the pasta label: most dried durum wheat spaghetti is egg-free, but egg pasta isn’t suitable for a vegan dish.
To serve
Makes: 4 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Chop the vegetables
Dice the onion, carrot and celery very finely, about 3–4 mm — pulsing them in a food processor is fine. Chop the mushrooms just as small and crush the garlic.
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Step 2: Sweat the soffritto
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or sauté pan over medium-low heat, add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 10–12 minutes until soft, sweet and lightly golden.
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Step 3: Brown the mushrooms
Turn up the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for 5–6 minutes until their liquid has evaporated and they start to brown. Add the garlic and tomato paste and fry for 2 more minutes until the paste turns brick-red.
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Step 4: Simmer the lentils
Add the lentils, tomatoes, stock, bay leaf and oregano. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 30–35 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are tender and the sauce is thick. Add a splash of water if it thickens too soon.
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Step 5: Cook the pasta
About 12 minutes before the sauce is done, cook the spaghetti in well-salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the packet says. Save a mugful of the cooking water.
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Step 6: Bring it together
Remove the bay leaf and season the sauce. Transfer the spaghetti straight into the pan with 3–4 tbsp of the pasta water and toss over the heat for 1 minute until the sauce clings to the pasta.
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Step 7: Serve
Divide between bowls and top with torn basil leaves.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Use brown or green lentils, which hold their shape; red lentils collapse into a purée.
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Variation
For extra depth, add 1 tbsp soy sauce with the stock — not traditionally Italian, but it boosts the savoury, meaty note.
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Swap
Check the pasta label: most dried durum wheat spaghetti is egg-free, but egg pasta isn’t suitable for a vegan dish.
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Storage
The sauce keeps for 4 days in the fridge and freezes well for up to 3 months. It also makes a great vegan lasagne filling.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 610 kcal | 2,440 kcal |
| Protein | 25 g | 100 g |
| Fat | 12 g | 48 g |
| Carbohydrates | 98 g | 392 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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