A Vegan Red Lentil and Mushroom Bolognese is a tasty meat-free alternative to traditional bolognese. The lentils and mushrooms have a real 'meaty' quality to them and cook in a rich and thick tomato sauce. It's also full of protein, gluten free and goes perfectly with any pasta. For a more traditional vegetarian ragu sauce, you'll love my Easy Quorn Bolognese.
Red lentils cook quickly, are budget-friendly, and packed with protein. For more simple recipes using Lentils, check out my Roasted Red Pepper and Lentil Soup or Chickpea and Lentil Curry
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Ingredients
This vegan bolognese can be made from storecupboard/pantry ingredients and is a great standby.
- Red Lentils. We use red lentils as they don't need pre-soaking and cook more quickly than other types of lentils.
- Mushrooms. You can use most mushroom varieties and choose how small you would like to chop them.
- Worcestershire Sauce. This sauce adds umami to a dish but is not vegan as it contains anchovies. However, vegan versions are available.
- Pasta. You can serve lentil bolognese with any type of pasta. Typically Italians serve bolognese with long pasta or noodles such as spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine or pappardelle which are thicker pasta strips.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or ovenproof casserole dish over medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
Add the garlic, mushrooms, and oregano and fry for a further 3 minutes.
Stir in the passata and red lentils.
Add the hot vegetable stock Worcestershire sauce and most of the fresh basil, stir and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, cook in the oven at 180°C/360°F/gas mark 4 for 30 minutes
Substitutions
- Red Lentils - Red lentils are very easy to use. They don't need pre-soaking and they cook in 15 - 20 minutes. You can of course use other lentils, but these will take longer to cook. Green, brown, or yellow lentils take around 35 - 45 minutes. If using these varieties then you may need to add more stock due to the longer cooking time. Canned or tinned lentils are already cooked so will work well as an alternative.
- Vegetables - there are lots of different vegetables you can add to this lentil bolognese to make the recipe serve more portions or as a way to avoid food waste. Red bell peppers, aubergine (eggplant), or courgette (zucchini) can all be added as they don't have a long cooking time. If you're looking to add something green, try kale or fresh spinach.
- Passata - Passata is a thick tomato puree. You can use tinned or canned chopped tomatoes instead but you may need to slightly reduce the amount of stock, depending on how much water is in the variety of tinned tomatoes.
- Gluten Free - the red lentil bolognese sauce is gluten-free. Serve it with gluten-free pasta or see the other serving suggestions for more gluten-free options.
Variations
A lentil and mushroom ragu or bolognese can easily be spiced up and you can add in other vegetables. See also Substitutions for more ways to make this recipe.
- Spicy - add a few chili pepper flakes to spice it up a little. Add them with the oregano, mushrooms, and onion.
- Deluxe - add a splash of red wine to the lentil bolognese with the oregano, mushrooms, and onion. You should add wine to a dish early on so it has time to evaporate. Red wine will give a deeper colour and add some flavour.
- Budget-friendly - adding in some extra vegetables such as carrots, celery or red bell peppers can make this red lentil bolognese stretch further and make more meals.
Equipment
I love meals that can all be cooked in one pot. You can simmer this vegan bolognese on the hob or stove top, or if you prefer just pop it in the oven with a lid on. An oven-proof casserole dish such as stone bakeware is the best option.
Serving Suggestion
A lentil ragu goes well with pappardelle pasta which looks like thick ribbons. You can of course serve it with any type of pasta or with gnocchi, mashed potato, rice or crusty or garlic bread. It's also delicious on top of a baked jacket potato or with a simple homemade Flatbread. You can also serve it with spiralized courgette or zucchini if you're avoiding carbs.
Sustainability
If you're looking to incorporate more plant-based meals into your diet, this meat-free red lentil bolognese is a great option. All the ingredients are available organic. Try to buy the vegetables lose if possible to minimise packaging. Shopping locally and buying locally-grown produce will reduce the carbon footprint and help support the local economy.
Storage
A Red lentil bolognese will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and freeze for up to 6 months. I often make a batch of this and keep some in the freezer as it makes a great standby meal. Remember, cooked pasta can also be frozen if you cook too much. Rinse it with cold water to prevent it from sticking and freeze it in portion sizes.
Top tip
A lentil vegan bolognese can be prepped ahead of time and then reheated. It also freezes well so why not make a batch that will save on energy consumption and costs?
FAQ
Red lentils don't need to be pre-soaked before adding to dishes. Adding them straight to sauces will help them soak up some of the flavour from the sauce. Just rinse them in cold water before adding to dishes to get rid of any dust.
If you simmer red lentils at too high a temperature, they can turn mushy.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Red Lentil and Mushroom Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil organic, fairtrade
- 1 onion peeled & chopped, organic
- 2 cloves garlic peeled & crushed, organic
- 600 g mushrooms washed & diced, organic
- 2 teaspoon oregano chopped, organic
- 700 g passata organic
- 250 g dried red lentils organic
- 200 ml vegetable stock organic
- 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce organic
- 4 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 dash black pepper organic,fairtrade
- 1 dash salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or oven proof casserole dish over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion
- Add the garlic, mushrooms and oregano and fry for a further 3 minutes2 cloves garlic, 600 g mushrooms, 2 teaspoon oregano
- Add the passata and lentils and stir together700 g passata, 250 g dried red lentils
- Add the hot vegetable stock, Worcestershire sauce, and most of the fresh basil, stir and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, cook in the oven at 180°C/360°F/gas mark 4 for 30 minutes200 ml vegetable stock, 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce, 4 tablespoon fresh basil, 1 dash black pepper, 1 dash salt
Notes
Tips
Dried Red lentils are the easiest to use as they cook quickly. Green, brown or yellow lentils need to be simmered for around 35 - 45 minutes. If using these varieties you may need to add more stock due to the longer cooking time. Canned or tinned lentils are already cooked so will work well as an alternative.Substitutions
- Red Lentils - Dried Red lentils are very easy to use. They don't need pre-soaking and they cook in 15 - 20 minutes. You can of course use other lentils, but these will take longer to cook. Green, brown, or yellow lentils take around 35 - 45 minutes. If using these varieties then you may need to add more stock due to the longer cooking time. Canned or tinned lentils are already cooked so will work well as an alternative.
- Vegetables - there are lots of different vegetables you can add to this lentil bolognese to make the recipe serve more portions or as a way to avoid food waste. Red bell peppers, aubergine (eggplant), or courgette (zucchini) can all be added as they don't have a long cooking time. If you're looking to add something green, try kale or fresh spinach.
- Passata - Passata is a thick tomato puree. You can use tinned or canned chopped tomatoes instead but you may need to slightly reduce the amount of stock, depending on how much water is in the variety of tinned tomatoes.
- Gluten Free - the red lentil bolognese sauce is gluten-free. Serve it with gluten-free pasta or see the other serving suggestions for more gluten-free options.
Storage
Store in the fridge for 3-4 days and freeze it for up to 6 months.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
Kathleen
Oh does this look marvelous! My family will devour this pasta up.
Elizabeth
Thanks for this great week night meal recipe. It looks so tasty!
Gina Abernathy
My family loves pasta and this was great! I made this for dinner last night and everyone loved it!
Anjali
This was a hearty and delicious dinner for our family!! Everyone loved it and we had no leftovers!
Sisley White - Sew White
I made this for my vegan relatives and they loved it. As did the meat eaters who didn't know it was vegan.
Bernice Houghton
I love the healthy low calorie meals thank you so much x
Catherine Horrigan
Another lovely easy meal. The mushrooms provide a lovely meaty texture. I ran out of red lentils so used half green ones for a slightly different texture.
REALMEALDEAL
This is one of my favourite meat free meals. Thanks for sharing that you used half red and half green lentils and that it worked out ok.
Daphne Morgan
Absolutely delicious even for the meat eaters in our family. Easy recipe to follow, not too many ingredients & timings spot on. Generous portions.
Will definitely be serving this again.