Easy Vegan Lentil Bolognese Sauce
An easy vegan lentil bolognese sauce recipe, both nourishing and low-fat compared to the traditional Italian hearty sauce, yet rich in flavor.
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 2143kcal
Ingredients
- 1 sml Onion finely diced
- 2 ribs Celery finely diced
- 2 small - medium Carrots finely diced
- 1 can Brown lentils see note #1 for dry lentils.
- ½ cup Split red lentils
- ½ cup Tomato paste
- 1 cup Passata
- 4 cups Vegetable stock or vegetable broth
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ tbs Dried oregano
- 1 sprig Rosemary fresh or dry, or use ½ tbs dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper cracked
- ½ cup Dairy free milk see note #2
- ⅛ cup Water or 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 pinch Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, over medium-high heat, add the onion, celery and carrots with the water. See note #3 if you want to use oil. Sweat until they have softened and have started to stick to the pot, starting to caramelize.1 sml Onion, 2 ribs Celery, 2 small - medium Carrots, ⅛ cup Water
- Add the tomato paste, brown lentils and red lentils. Give it a good stir ensuring everything is coated in the tomato paste. Stir in the vegetable stock, passata. herbs, black pepper. Bring the pot to a soft boil then lower heat down to medium-low.1 can Brown lentils, ½ cup Split red lentils, ½ cup Tomato paste, 4 cups Vegetable stock, 2 Bay leaves, ½ tbs Dried oregano, 1 sprig Rosemary, ½ teaspoon Black pepper, 1 cup Passata
- Stir in the dairy free milk, allow the pot to simmer for 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. See note #2 if using dry lentils which will require additional time and liquid. Do a taste test and adjust salt if required. Serve warm over cooked pasta of your choice.½ cup Dairy free milk, 1 pinch Salt
Video
Notes
The yield is approximately 4½ cups.
Note #1 - 1 can of brown pre-cooked lentils = 1¼ cups. If you would like to use dry brown lentils, you will need to soak them overnight to rehydrate them. Generally, I use the ratio of 1 cup of brown lentils to 3-4 cups of cold water. 1 cup of dried lentils when rehydrated will approximately yield 2½ cups.
Note #2 - cooking dry lentils will take a little longer. You will need to simmer for approximately 45 minutes rather than the 30 minutes listed above on medium heat and then in the last 15 minutes on medium-low heat with the lid on. You will also need to add another ¼ cup of dairy free milk as dry lentils tend to soak in more liquid.
Note #3 use olive oil to sweat and slightly caramelize the onion, carrot and garlic, replacing the little water used.
Another plant based pasta sauce you might be interested in is this pretty beet sauce.
US cups and spoons measurements have been used. 1 cup is 240ml, 1 tablespoon 15ml, 1 teaspoon 5ml.
Nutrition
Calories: 2143kcal | Carbohydrates: 378g | Protein: 147g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 5061mg | Potassium: 7773mg | Fiber: 170g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 6696IU | Vitamin C: 89mg | Calcium: 627mg | Iron: 49mg