This easy mushroom and lentil bolognese is a healthy and filling sauce that goes perfect with pasta. Made in less than 30 minutes, it's the perfect weeknight meal!
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We can all appreciate a good, hearty pasta dish. This vegan recipe has everything you need for a filling lunch or dinner: delicious flavors, protein, fiber, and vitamins.
Lentils are a great vegetarian substitute for ground beef. I have already used them in my popular stuffed eggplant recipe, and my favorite vegetarian moussaka with lentils.
🥘 Ingredients
For this recipe you will need garlic, onion, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, cooked brown lentils, mushrooms and celery.
I use canned lentils for convenience, but if you want to cook them yourself, check out my Instant Pot Lentils. They have to be cooked before adding them to the bolognese sauce.
🍲 Lentils
You can use your favorite type of lentil in this recipe. I buy canned precooked brown lentils (like these from Amazon), but you can also boil raw lentils if you prefer.
Do not add uncooked lentils directly to the bolognese, as they will not cook through in the time suggested.
🔪 Instructions
Cook spaghetti or pasta of your choice according to the package instructions. The pasta will finish cooking before the sauce. When it has cooked, drain off the pasta water, and leave it on the side until the sauce is done.
Meanwhile, in a separate pot, heat some cooking spray or oil. Finely dice onion, and sauté until they turn soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add finely minced garlic and cook for another minute, then add finely diced mushroom and celery. Cook until the mushrooms have reduced in size, about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add all the dried herbs, and cook for another minute while stirring.
Drain canned cooked lentils, and rinse them thoroughly. Add to the pot, along with canned diced tomatoes, tomato purée, and some salt and pepper. Place the lid on top, and leave the sauce to cook for 5-10 minutes.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, and stir to coat it evenly. Serve the mushroom and lentil bolognese immediately while it's still hot.
💭 Top tips
Here's my best tips for the best results:
- Brown lentils are best in this recipe, but you can also use green lentils or puy lentils.
- Leave the sauce to cook for at least the suggested time. This will allow all the flavors to develop.
- As the sauce is resting, it will develop even more flavor. It tastes even better the next day!
🥗 Serving suggestions
You can always improve any meal with healthy side dishes. If you're wondering what to serve with mushroom and lentil bolognese, here are some of my favorite options:
- Vegetables: Make your meal a little healthier by serving it with some vegetables. This vegetarian bolognese is perfect served with oven roasted green beans or za'atar roasted eggplant.
- Side salads: A light side salad is always great. Try serving it with tomato and mozzarella salad or tomato and cucumber salad.
- Toppings: Top your pasta with some grated parmesan, croutons or freshly ground black pepper.
🍲 Leftovers
You can store leftover lentil bolognese in airtight containers in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen.
I like to make a big batch of bolognese sauce, and freeze it down in portion sizes. Then it's really easy to thaw and reheat some sauce whenever you want, and serve it over pasta or in a pasta bake.
This dish is absolutely perfect as a make ahead meal, and the bolognese tends to develop more flavor over time. Perfect leftovers every time!
🍴 You might also like these recipes...
If you love healthy pasta dishes, you should try any of these recipes:
📋 Frequently asked questions
Can I add any other vegetables to this dish? - Absolutely! You can add diced carrots, peppers, cherry tomatoes or any other vegetables you like. Simply chop them into small pieces, and add them to the sauce when you add the mushrooms.
Can this dish be made gluten free? - Absolutely. The bolognese sauce is gluten free already. Simply serve it over your favorite gluten free pasta.
Recipe
Mushroom and Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
- 300 g pasta
- 250 g white mushrooms
- 1 can cooked brown lentils (400 g / 14 oz)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (400 g / 14 oz)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 celery stick
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
Instructions
- First, cook spaghetti or pasta of your choice according to the package instructions. The pasta will finish cooking before the sauce. When it has cooked, drain off the pasta water, and leave it on the side until the sauce is done.
- Meanwhile, in a separate pot, heat some one calorie cooking spray. Finely dice onion, and sauté until they turn soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add finely minced garlic and cook for another minute, then add finely diced mushroom and celery. Cook until the mushrooms have reduced in size, about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add all the dried herbs, and cook for another minute while stirring.
- Drain a tin of cooked lentils, and rinse them thoroughly. Add to the pot, along with tomato passata, tomato puree, and some salt and pepper. Place the lid on top, and leave the sauce to cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste, then pour the drained pasta into the sauce. Allow the pasta to heat back up for a minute. Finally, serve the mushroom and lentil bolognese in pasta bowls.
- Optionally, you can top the dish with grated parmesan or freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
Leftovers
You can store leftover lentil bolognese in airtight containers in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen. I like to make a big batch of bolognese sauce, and freeze it down in portion sizes. Then it’s really easy to thaw and reheat some sauce whenever you want, and serve it over pasta or in a pasta bake. This dish is absolutely perfect as a make ahead meal, and the bolognese tends to develop more flavor over time. Perfect leftovers every time!Top tips
Here’s my best tips for the best results:- Brown lentils are best in this recipe, but you can also use green lentils or puy lentils.
- Leave the sauce to cook for at least the suggested time. This will allow all the flavors to develop.
- As the sauce is resting, it will develop even more flavor. It tastes even better the next day!
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