This soul-warming vegan Lentil Bolognese recipe features nourishing red lentils & mushrooms instead of ground beef! Serve it over your favorite pasta for an elegant, satisfying, ultra-comforting meal. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)
This vegan Bolognese sauce is a soul-warming (plant-based!) twist on the Italian classic.
Traditional Bolognese is a thick, meat-based tomato sauce with milk. But this meatless version features hearty mushrooms and nourishing red lentils instead of finely chopped beef. The texture is so wonderful and hearty!
I love how elegant this dish feels, but it's actually easy to assemble with many simple pantry staples. (Plus the aroma is so homey and inviting!)
Serve this deeply satisfying sauce on your favorite pasta. Then top with fresh herbs and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan for the perfect final touch!
Ingredients for Lentil Bolognese
For this recipe you'll simmer in a large pan or Dutch oven on the stovetop:
- Onion: I use yellow onion, but white or sweet onion works great too.
- Mushrooms: You'll need 8 ounces fresh mushrooms. Use whatever variety you enjoy. White button, cremini, Portobello, or even shiitake would be tasty.
- Fresh garlic: I use about 5-6 garlic cloves, but you can include even more if you love the flavor!
- Red wine vinegar: Just a tablespoon adds a little acidity and depth of flavor to the mixture. (Balsamic vinegar could be substituted.)
- Vegetable broth
- Crushed tomatoes: You'll need a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes. (Feel free to use ones with basil or herbs included for extra herby flavor.)
- Split red lentils: Paired with the mushrooms, these are a great meat substitute in this dish. They have a hearty, tender texture and plant-based protein and fiber.
- Tomato paste: Just 2 tablespoons helps thicken the sauce and gives it an extra-rich tomato flavor.
- Tamari: This adds some salty, umami flavor. You can also substitute soy sauce. Be sure to use low sodium if desired.
- Nutritional yeast: This helps thicken the mixture, and gives it a savory, slightly cheesy flavor.
- Italian seasoning
- Smoked paprika: I like to include a half teaspoon, but add even more if you'd like.
- Salt: You can also add black pepper to taste.
Customizing
Carrot & celery: These veggies often appear in traditional Bolognese, but I enjoy the flavor better without them. (Simply personal preference.) Feel free to include a medium carrot and 1-2 sticks celery with the onion. Just be sure to very finely dice them so they incorporate with the sauce.
Herbs & flavors: I like using an Italian seasoning blend, but change it up with what you have on hand. Stir in dried oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, bay leaf (remove before serving), or thyme.
Omit mushrooms: If you're not a fan of mushrooms, use slightly more red lentils, or crushed walnuts instead.
Make it spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, or simply top your bowl with red pepper flakes to taste before serving.
Batch size: This recipe makes a fairly large batch. The sauce recipe yields about 6 cups (without the pasta) so be sure to reduce or halve if desired.
Serving
Pasta: Spoon this warm Bolognese sauce over your favorite cooked pasta. I like spaghetti best, but you can use penne, rigatoni, fettuccine, or even zucchini noodles if you wish. (Be sure to use gluten-free pasta if needed.)
Garnish: Top your bowl with Vegan Parmesan Cheese and fresh basil or fresh parsley.
Storing
Store the sauce and pasta in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. I find it keeps well for about 4-5 days, but use your best judgement. Simply reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
Freezing note: I haven't tried saving this sauce in the freezer. But I'm guessing it'd do very well if you wanted to freeze it for 1-2 months. Just be sure to let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container.
For more inspiration, also browse all vegan comfort food recipes or lentil recipes.
Vegan Lentil Bolognese (Easy!)
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 8 oz. mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup split red lentils (uncooked)
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1-2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (or more)
- 1 Tbsp. tamari
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp. salt
For serving:
- 8-12 oz. pasta (gluten-free if desired)
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh basil, fresh parsley
Instructions
- Finely dice onion and mushrooms.
- In a large pan or Dutch oven, sauté onion for 7-8 minutes. (I use 3 Tbsp. water/broth for no-oil sauté method, adding more as needed.)
- Meanwhile, mince garlic.
- When onion is translucent, add mushrooms, garlic, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and salt. Stir and cook 3-4 minutes.
- Add red wine vinegar. Stir and cook 1 minute.
- Add broth, crushed tomatoes, red lentils (rinsed and drained), tomato paste, nutritional yeast, and tamari.
- Bring to a light boil. Then reduce heat, cover, and lightly simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. (This is a great time to cook the pasta.)
- Serve sauce over cooked pasta. Top with vegan parmesan and fresh basil or parsley.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
If you're enjoying this vegan Lentil Bolognese sauce recipe, also check out:
- Lentil Cabbage Soup
- Ultimate Vegetable Soup
- Easy Vegan Lasagna with Chickpea Ricotta
- Red Lentil Sweet Potato Stew
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Jennifer says
Flavourful recipe. I did add minced mushrooms to it as well. Like a previous reviewer, I also found that the lentils need longer than 10 minutes - closer to 15. But overall, I liked this recipe.
Kaitlin says
Great call with the mushrooms. And thank you for sharing your helpful feedback with the cooking time - very appreciated. I'm glad you found another recipe you enjoy. Wishing you a lovely week, Jennifer! -Kaitlin
Diana says
Good recipe, except after cooking the lentils for 10 minutes, as stated, the liquid had absorbed but the lentils were far from being done.
Kaitlin says
Thank you for your feedback, Diana! Were you using split red lentils? They generally cook very quickly (and faster than other lentil varieties), but I will revisit and retest this recipe soon.
Ben Brown says
Very delicious! Rich, hearty, and a few times my mind literally thought I was eating a meat sauce (even though I wasn't).
Kaitlin says
So great to hear! Thanks for sharing.