Mushroom and Lentil Bolognese

Vegan bolognese with mushrooms and lentils.

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Mushroom and Lentil Bolognese

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!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Course: Dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, International

Keyword: bolognese, lentils, mushroom, pasta, spaghetti, vegan, vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 332kcal

Author: Tonje

Cost: Cheap

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

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.

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!

Nutrition