Hearty and filling, this Vegan Bolognese is made with lentils, mushrooms, and a variety of veggies. Serve over your favorite pasta for a delicious and healthy meal the whole family will love! This Bolognese Sauce takes just 35 minutes and is meal-prep friendly.
Pasta Bolognese, aka Spaghetti Bol, is one of those classic comfort dishes that's so easy to veganize you'll never miss the original. Not only is this a family-friendly dish, but it can also appeal to omnivores and beginners who are skeptical about tofu and other meat replacements. Best of all, this Vegan Bolognese Sauce is full of veggies, protein, fiber, and all the good stuff.
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You'll love this lentil Bolognese recipe because it's:
- Delicious & Flavorful
- Hearty & Filling
- Quick & Easy
- Vegan / Vegetarian
- WFPB
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Kid-friendly
- Great for Meal-Prep
What is Bolognese sauce?
Bolognese sauce originates in Bologna, Italy, and is traditionally a ragu (aka meat sauce) with a very specific preparation. Despite the rustic feel of the sauce, it can actually be quite complex to prepare due to the techniques used to cook the meat.
Outside of Italy, Spaghetti Bolognese (or Spaghetti "Bol," as it's sometimes called) can sometimes act as a generic stand-in for any meat-based sauce. In this recipe, we substitute lentils and mushrooms for the meat, and can therefore make this recipe much simpler and quicker! (Not to mention fully Vegan.)
Can this be gluten-free?
Sure! The sauce is already gluten-free. Just substitute gluten-free pasta. If you use red wine, keep in mind that most wines are gluten-free but you can check out this info from Beyond Celiac if you're unsure.
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 oz mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cans whole or crushed tomatoes
- 1 can brown lentils
- ¼ cup dry red wine (optional)
- 2 tbsp vegetable broth powder (or bouillon cube)
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- sea salt (to taste)
- fresh cracked pepper
Garnish
- red pepper flakes
- vegan parmesan
- fresh basil or parsley
Substitutions
- Dry lentils can be substituted for canned, but you will either need to cook them first or cook the sauce for longer.
- If you don't want to use red wine, simply substitute with an equal amount of vegetable broth or water.
- I like to use both fresh and granulated garlic in this recipe, but if you only have one, that's fine.
Special equipment
I like to blend this sauce with an immersion blender. This will keep it chunky but the ingredients will be better incorporated and more flavorful. (When I made this without blending, the lentils and sauce never fully incorporated, which created a different mouth-feel and gave the dish a lot less depth.)
If you don't have an immersion blender you can try using a potato masher. Alternatively, you could pulse half of the sauce in a high-speed blender and add it back to the rest of the sauce.
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and prep the vegetables: dice the onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Peel and grate the garlic with a Microplane or garlic press.
- Heat a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot. Saute, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots are fork-tender. The onions usually give off enough liquid to keep them from sticking, but you could add 1 tablespoon of water or olive oil if you choose.
- (If you're making pasta to serve right away, this is a good time to start boiling the water.)
- Add the mushrooms, oregano, Italian seasoning, paprika, granulated garlic, and fresh grated garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Deglaze with 1 tablespoon of water if the mushrooms start to stick.
- Add the tomatoes, lentils, red wine, balsamic glaze, and broth powder or bouillon cube. Use an immersion blender to blend and combine until you reach the consistency you want. I like to leave it a bit chunky.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust other seasonings if necessary. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy right away with your favorite pasta and garnishes or store for later.
How to serve
- Serve over your favorite pasta. I like this sauce with whole wheat spaghetti, but it would also be fine with linguine, penne, vegan pappardelle, or whatever you have available.
- I like to serve this garnished with red pepper flakes, vegan parmesan, and fresh parsley or basil.
- You could also use the sauce for a hearty vegan lasagna.
- For something a little different, this sauce tastes great as a topping for baked potatoes!
Can I make it ahead?
Definitely! This is a great make-ahead sauce. You can meal prep a double batch on the weekend and have enough sauce for 4 to 6 meals. Serve some this week and freeze the rest for a night when you're not in the mood to cook.
How to store
- Store the leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
- Leftover pasta can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, but I wouldn't freeze it.
- To reheat frozen sauce, defrost in the fridge and then reheat in a pot or microwave with 2 tablespoons of water.
More vegan Italian recipes
- Oil-free Vegan Pesto
- Vegan Baked Feta Pasta
- Penne Pasta with Kale & Vegan Italian Sausage
- Cherry Tomato & Basil Pasta
- Oil-free Vegan Pizza Dough
📖 Recipe
Vegan Bolognese with Lentils & Mushrooms (Oil-free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 oz mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 15oz whole or crushed tomatoes (unseasoned)
- 1 15oz can of brown lentils
- ¼ cup dry red wine (optional)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable broth powder (or bouillon cube)
- 2 tablespoon balsamic glaze
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- sea salt (to taste)
- fresh cracked pepper
Garnish
- red pepper flakes
- vegan parmesan
- fresh basil or parsley
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and prep the vegetables: dice the onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Peel and grate the garlic.
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery to the pot along with a pinch of salt. Saute for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are aromatic and the carrots are fork-tender.
- Add the mushrooms, Italian seasoning, oregano, smoked paprika, granulated, and grated garlic. Saute for another 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked.
- Add the tomato paste, lentils, tomatoes, red wine, balsamic glaze, and broth powder to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Use a stick blender to partially blend the sauce. The sauce should stay chunky.
- Season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until everything is cooked through.
- Taste to adjust seasonings. Serve right away with pasta and garnishes or store for later.
Notes
- You can use a few tablespoons of water or oil when sauteing the veggies, but I find that the onions give off enough liquid to keep them from sticking.
- I like both the fresh and granulated garlic for this recipe, but if you only have one just add a little more and it will be fine.
- For a family of 4 this makes enough for 2 meals. You can freeze the second half or keep the leftovers for lunch.
- Nutritional info is calculated for the sauce only (8 portions).
Nutrition
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Did you try this recipe? Have a question? Just leave a comment below and I'll get back to you ASAP!
Marion
When do you add the balsamic.
Julianne Lynch
You add it in step 4. Sorry about the confusion!
Katrina
How would using dried lentils change the cooking instructions?
Julianne Lynch
Sorry for the delayed response. If you start with dried lentils, then I recommend cooking them first in water, and then adding them in as directed.