Italian · dinner
Hearty Vegan Lentil Bolognese
A rich, slow-tasting bolognese made with brown lentils, mushrooms and tomato. High in protein and fibre, and it freezes well.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
- 250 g cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (400 g) crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 bay leaf
- 400 g spaghetti or tagliatelle
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pot. Cook the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat for 6 minutes until soft.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid evaporates and they start to brown, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until the paste darkens.
- Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, soy sauce, oregano and bay leaf. Simmer, partly covered, for 25–30 minutes until the lentils are tender and the sauce is thick.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta. Remove the bay leaf, season the sauce and toss with the drained pasta.
Cook's notes
- Soy sauce adds the savoury depth that meat normally brings — don't skip it.
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
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