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
Paul Chevlin says
Thank you for sharing. This recipe was delicious. Will make it again. The portion is huge so next time I will half everything. I was looking for more plant based options and this is now at the top of my list. I served it over a quinoa based pasta by Ancient Grains.
Kate says
Thank you! Yes! It makes a lot. =) If you have a lot of leftovers and want to save some, it does freeze well. Thanks for commenting!
Anne says
What do you mean by Tomato Sauce? Do you literally mean the one you get in cafe’s or Passata?
Kate says
Tomato sauce is a tomato puree that’s sold in cans in the US. It isn’t flavored like a spaghetti sauce; it’s just a plain tomato puree.
Andrea says
Fantastic! I cooked my lentils beforehand. When I make this again, I will make it in a Dutch oven, because my very large pan was overflowing – I was able to only use half of the lentils that the recipe called for.
Kate says
I’m glad that you liked it! And the Dutch oven is a great solution. Thanks for commenting!
Jane says
Great taste and so good for us. Will enjoy this again.
Floranet says
Easy to read and understand!! Thanks
Sue H says
This sounds interesting. Showing my ignorance here but what exactly IS a lentil and what does it taste like?
Kate says
Lentils are legumes that look sort of like flat peas. They’re sold dry in bags alongside beans in the grocery store. Depending on the variety of lentil, they can be neutral with little taste, nutty, or peppery. Cooked lentils have a consistency that’s similar to cooked beans. Hope that helps!
Anna says
Hi,
I looked up red lentil water ratio and it says for 1 cup of red lentils you need 3 cups of water. Do you think water in this recipe should be increased?
Thanks,
Anna
Kate says
Hey! The ratios tend to vary quite a bit. You can certainly use more water if you find it necessary, but I’ve never needed to add more water.
Annie says
I had to use 2 more cups of water. Also will soak the lentils next time as were still crunchy.
Andrea says
I have cooked this recipe at least six times and I have loved it every single time. I always add way more water and cook for a longer time but this recipe is amazing!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for commenting!
Tezzi says
I am not so luck when I cook lentils. This time I cooked itself. The lentil turned out great. So, I kept on making your delicious recipe. I added 4 chicken tenders shredded, and one cup of chicken broth. My husband and I loved!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad it was a hit. Thanks for commenting!
Frank says
Can I ask why you use baking soda in this recipe ?
Kate says
Of course! The baking soda helps to balance out some of the acidity in the sauce.
Alfaima Solano says
I did it and it was just perfect
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting! =)
Lisa says
I make mine using lentils, garlic, onion, peppers, mushrooms, grated carrot&courgette and tin of tomatoes it’s much more veg and tasty ?
Kate says
Glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for commenting!
Linda says
Has anyone adpated this for the instant pot or electric pressure cooker?
Kate says
Hi! I have a second website that’s dedicated to Instant Pot/electric pressure cooker recipes, and I’ll have a version of this recipe for the IP up soon! =)
Cindy H says
very good! I love lentils. I think most people would enjoy this recipe, and it’s a good way for kids to eat their veggies. I did omit the celery.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad to hear that you liked it. =) Thanks for commenting!
Sharon says
This recipe was absolutely delicious. I did have a hard time getting the lentils to cook. Next time I would just pre-cook them some. Thank you for a great recipe. Will be sharing this recipe with my sisters.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked it. Thanks for commenting! =)
Annie says
Same here. Next time will soak them. Had to add more water too. Still very nice.
Christina says
Hi I’ve cooked the lentils for about an hour, and they smell delicious, but are still crunchy. I used red lentils and I live in Maryland. Am I suppose to cover the pot while simmering?
Kate says
Hi! I don’t cover the pot, but if it helps, absolutely do it. There are several things that can cause lentils to stay crunchy – high altitude, hard water, and older lentils are just a few of them. I’ve heard from some people who have partially cooked the lentils and then added them to the recipe. I wonder if that might help.
Christina says
Thank you! I will try that next time!
Michelle says
I have doubled the cooking time and tripled the amount of water but my lentils are still crunchy. Help.
Kate says
Hi! Yes! Let’s figure this out. Did you make any changes or substitutions (i.e. use a different type of lentil)?
Michelle Prins says
No. Red lentils that I’ve used many times before. Followed the recipe exactly (except for adding more water and more time.)
Kate says
Do you happen to live at a higher elevation?
Michelle says
Yes, I live in Calgary, which is about a mile above sea level. It takes a few minutes longer to cook pasta, etc., but never this much of a difference.
susana correa says
my mother always taught me to soak lentils overnight as you do with beans/chickpeas etc, they will cook faster than if you pour them straight from the package.
the recipe was very tasty, but i did add mushrooms =D
Fie says
Im sorry, this might be a dumb question, but why baking soda?
Kate says
It’s not a dumb question! =) The baking soda helps to neutralize some of the acid in the sauce. I hope that helps!
Leah @ Lunch with Leah says
This recipe is so delicious! A great way to get some more veggies into my kids too. I included it in a round-up of favorite vegetarian dinner ideas: https://lunchwithleah.com/vegetarian-dinner-ideas/
Thanks for creating such amazing recipes, can’t wait to try more!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you liked it. Thanks for including my recipe in your round up. =)
Olivia says
Any adjustments if I’m using canned lentils? Haven’t used lentils at all before but I have a can sitting in the cabinet!
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried this recipe using canned lentils. I would guess that you would need less liquid and a shorter cooking time, but I haven’t tested it to say for certain. Best of luck!
Heather says
Hi! Thanks for this recipe! I had a hard time getting the lentils to cook, and so had to keep adding more stock, but that made for some great leftovers! I am just wondering – what is the size of the serving? Is it about 1 cup?
Kate says
Hi! I’d like to be able to help you with that issue. When you say that you had a hard time getting the lentils to cook, do you mean to soften? Or was it that the liquid was evaporating? Yes, the serving size is 1 cup.
Sooj says
Thanks for being courageous to share about what’s going on in your life. It’s good to hear about the person behind the recipes!
LW says
Hi there. This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it! I struggled with my weight for years, and it finally all came off (75lbs!) when I removed oils from my diet. It was actually easy!! I couldn’t even believe it (I do follow a vegan diet). It really makes sense, though. If we eat less fat, we will have less fat! Good luck on your weight-loss journey!