Naturally gluten free and vegan, this Lentil Bolognese recipe is a hearty, healthy lentil recipe that’s perfect for topping pasta or just about anything else!
This is probably the hardest post that I’ve written. I’m not super comfortable talking about myself, so I tend to just talk about the food instead.
Having people criticize my recipes can be hard enough, but sharing extremely personal things like my struggle to lose weight is way (way, way) out of my comfort zone.
In September, I had my third little one. Since this was my third time, I figured I knew what to expect.
Except that this time hasn’t been like the last two time, and I have really been struggling to get my weight loss going this time. I definitely got off track while I was pregnant. I had hyperemesis during the beginning of my pregnancy. Once it was under control, I was hungry constantly, and so I ate.
After being so sick, I was beyond excited to be able to eat and to have food taste good again. At first, I craved healthy foods, and I ate lots of veggies and salads and good stuff. Towards the end, I craved more junk food, and that’s when the weight jumped on.
I gained about the same amount of weight during all three of my pregnancies. The last two times, it started to come off right away. I didn’t diet or do anything special to try to lose it, and it took me about a year both times to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
This time, though, the weight seems to be pretty happy hanging around. I certainly want to lose this baby weight, but more than that, I want to work on getting healthy again.
So, why am I telling you all of this? Well, the recipes that I share on here reflect what we’re eating. Everything that shows up on here was first tried out on my family and friends.
Even though I don’t talk much about my life, I do want to be honest with what I do share. So, I don’t want to pretend like I can eat a lots of cake, cookies, and other no-so-healthy food and lose weight because I can’t. The struggle is real, my friends. And with that, on to the food!
How To Make Lentil Bolognese
Growing up, my mom made this great dish of lentils and rice, and I loved it. It was one of my favorite dinners, and I still love all lentil recipes. This Lentil Bolognese is my healthier take on pasta sauce. I’m not going to say that you’ll think you’re eating meat when you have this because you won’t.
Instead, this lentil bolognese is delicious in its own right. The sauce is packed with veggies and has lots of flavor. This sauce is incredibly hearty and super satisfying.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook until softened, about 5-10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and then the tomato paste.
Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, seasonings, and baking soda. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the lentils and water. Simmer until the lentils have softened.
Tips
- I’ve never had trouble with the lentils cooking in the recipe as-written. However, some people have reported that pre-cooking the lentils or partially cooking the lentils has worked better for them.
- Since this sauce is so hearty, it’s great served over a sturdy pasta like a rigatoni (whole wheat, extra fiber, or just regular pasta all work).
- You can also serve this sauce over cooked spaghetti squash for a lower-carb dinner.
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Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 rib celery finely chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 7 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2-14.5 ounce cans diced Italian tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons dried sweet basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups red lentils rinsed and picked over
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
- Add onion, celery, and carrot.
- Cook, stirring as needed, until softened, about 5-10 minutes.
- Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds.
- Stir in tomato paste, and cook, stirring it in, for 1 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juice, basil, oregano, baking soda, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in lentils and water.
- Simmer, stirring regularly, until lentils have softened, about 20-30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Originally published 12/27/14. Updated with new photos and tips 12/31/19.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Staci says
Serious question: I used brown lentils and I never fully cooked down, it’s still good and delicious, however after lots of extra water and an hour of simmering it’s still crunchy. I love crockpot meals do you think I could make this in the crockpot and it will soften the lentils more, I have a WHOLE POT and I want to eat it.
Kate says
I’ve never made brown lentils in the crock pot, but my guess would be that it would work. I’ve made red lentils in the crock pot, and I found that I had to watch the liquid level to keep them from drying out. Hope that helps! Good luck!!
Jac | The Vegetarian Baker says
This recipe is so simple. I love it.
Kate says
Thanks! =)
Monique says
Hi Kate, thanks for this recipe. Can’t wait to make it today. Do you think this sauce goes with brown rice too? Or only pasta?
Kate says
Hi! No, I think it could go well with brown rice, quinoa, or even polenta. =)
Diana says
I am very much looking forward to making this tonight. In Australia we call tomato sauce what you guys call Ketchup, so I’m alittle confused what to add in place of the sauce. What’s the difference between diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce?
Kate says
Good question! The tomato sauce in this recipe is a thin sauce made from well-pureed tomatoes. If tomato puree is available, that would be your best bet. Depending on how thick the puree is, you may need to thin it a bit with some veggie stock. The diced tomatoes are a canned chopped tomato with their accompanying juices.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
Stacy says
Hi! I was wondering what the baking soda is needed for?
Kate says
Good question! Tomato heavy sauces can be overly acidic, so a little bit of baking soda can help tone that down.
Krystal says
That’s way better than using sugar! Its what a lot of people do and its gross!! Mental noted.
Im attempting to find vegan alternatives to the food we like..we do like spaghetti and i want my husband to be able to eat it without missing the meat. I think the lentils here will help with that texture. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate says
Finding vegan alternatives can be so difficult! My sister is vegan, and it definitely takes some work! I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as we do! =)
lynn says
i use the tiniest bit of cinnamon to cut the acidity when i make tomato sauce
Kate says
Great tip! I’ve heard of using baking soda or sugar but hadn’t heard of using cinnamon. Thank you for sharing! =)
Sylvia Marvelli says
I’m not seeing any information about preparing the lentils. You say 2 cups lentils + 2 cups water. After cooking, the lentils and remaining water are to be added to the other ingredients. It is my understanding that the are are always 2 parts water to 1 part lentils. If that is accurate the lentils will not even be cooked if using 1 part water to 1 part lentils let alone expecting leftover water. Please advise.
Kate says
I’m sorry if this isn’t clear, but you add the lentils and water in step 7, and you cook them until soft in step 8. You don’t precook them before adding them to the sauce.
As far as the proportions of liquid to lentils, the sauce already contains additional liquid. That liquid, in addition to the 2 cups of water, is enough to cook the lentils.
Rachel says
This has a delicious flavor! Unfortunately, I didn’t have red lentils so I tried using the brownish-green ones I had on hand. That was a bad idea because they never fully cooked and remained quite crunchy. But the flavor of the sauce was so yummy, we ate it anyway! After buying some red lentils, I realized they are much thinner, which I am assuming is why they work better in this recipe and cook up faster.
I am making it again tomorrow with the red lentils! Can’t wait to enjoy it again with some friends who are vegan!
Kate says
Thank you for sharing that! I’m sure that will save someone else from finding that out the hard way.
I hope you all enjoy it! =)
Jamie Atkinson says
Having experienced beans not fully cooked I went looking, many years ago pre-internet. I found that adding tomato products to beans prior to them being fully cooked stops the beans from cooking. Thus they remain crunchy no matter how long you cook them. So now I make sure that the beans are fully cooked prior to adding tomato products. Heading off to make this now….
Kate says
If you pre-cook the lentils, you may need to adjust the cooking time so as not to end up with mushy lentils. Good luck! =)
Gail says
Oh my gosh. . .this was fabulous. I added a little extra garlic and an additional teaspoon of italian seasoning and served it over spaghetti squash. A new staple in my house! Thank you for sharing the deliciousness!
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked it! I’ll have to try it with spaghetti squash next time. =)
Brittany says
This is just what I’ve been looking for! Planning on making it and serving it over spaghetti squash tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing. ♡
Kate says
I’m so glad that you found it then! I hope that you enjoy it!! =)
Steve Lassoff says
Looks very filling! I am building a community of vegans and would love for you to head over to http://www.wedigfood.com and leave a recipe
Kate says
Thanks!
Cameron says
Made this today. It’s absolutely delicious (and beautiful)
Kate says
I’m so glad that you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Sarah says
How many servings does this make?
Kate says
I got 8 servings out of this recipe.
Beckie says
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! It’s simmering as I type and I am so looking forward to it!
Kate says
Yay! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! =)
Laura says
Do you think this would freeze well? I am planning to make it tonight but it seems like it is going to make a LOT. :) Looks delish btw!
Kate says
Thanks! I think so. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t. If you try freezing it, I’d be interested to hear how it turns out!
melissa says
Thanks so much for posting this. With a high schooler who’s the only vegetarian in the house, I’m always looking for recipes that we’ll all enjoy, especially ones with protein. Thanks for this; we’re all looking forward to a healthier 2015!
Kate says
That can be hard! For a while, my sister and I were vegetarian and another sister was vegan. So, I know how difficult it can be trying to cook with different diets in mind. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Marisa says
This looks awesome. Do you know the points value?
Kate says
Thank you! The brand of lentils that I used was a 4 pt brand, so it was 7 points per serving.
Patricia says
Kate, this looks so good I would want to just eat it from a spoon!! I love the combination of lentils and tomatoes. And I love eating good tasting food that is also good for you! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Kate says
Thank you so much!!
Azu says
Love the idea of a veggie bolognese! I don’t eat a lot of meat so this is a perfect substitution. Making healthy recipes is a good habit and I’m sure you can make it. Good luck!
Kate says
Thank you so much! That’s very nice of you to say!
Zoey says
That looks so delicious and healthy! I am saving this recipe for our next pasta night :)
Kate says
Thanks!! I hope you enjoy it!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I definitely am going be make this lentil bolognese tonight for dinner – so perfect for myself and my vegetarian family!
Kate says
I hope you enjoy it! =)