Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This vegan version of popular Bolognese pasta sauce is made with lentils and quinoa to give the sauce a meaty texture. Even my meat-loving husband loves vegan Bolognese!
How long it takes: 30 minutes to prep, an hour or so to simmer
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet or Dutch oven, medium saucepan, blender or food processor
Servings: 8
Everyone who chooses vegetarian, whether it’s for one night a week or for a lifetime, does it for different reasons. Whether you’re concerned about the health of our planet, the health of your body, or just trying to eat on a budget, meatless meals make good sense.
I think you’re going to love this vegan Bolognese pasta sauce. It’s super satisfying and you can feel good about serving a delicious and healthy meal to your family.
Vegan Bolognese Sauce
Totally delicious! The flavor of the sauce is so good, with lots of tomatoes, herbs, and spices, and just a splash of rich balsamic vinegar. While a classic Bolognese usually includes cream, this recipe is dairy-free.
A meaty texture. The combined texture of the lentils and quinoa is hearty and feels like ground beef. It’s so much better-tasting than fake ground beef or beef crumbles which often are high in saturated fats and sodium.
Uses pantry ingredients. The list of ingredients looks pretty long but don’t be intimidated. It’s easy stuff like canned tomatoes, dry herbs and seasonings, carrots and onions. I always have my pantry stocked with lentils and quinoa, and they keep forever. Vegan Bolognese is a good choice when you don’t happen to have meat in the refrigerator, or you only have frozen meat.
Cooking time is flexible. Total cooking time is about one hour minimum (that doesn’t include prep) but the sauce can simmer for as long as you need to. In fact, once you have it prepped, it can simmer in your slow cooker for a few hours if that works out better for your schedule.
“Loved this, it was delicious! … I will not be buying faux meat again as this is a brilliant replacement and so healthy!”
Ingredient Notes
- Brown or Green Lentils: Lentils are a fast-cooking legume and are a good source of protein. Dry lentils usually come in a bag; look for either brown or green lentils. Before using lentils, be sure to sort out any foreign material and rinse them with cool water.
- Quinoa: Quinoa is actually a seed but is often considered a whole grain. It is gluten-free and high in protein. It comes in different colors. I usually use white quinoa for recipes like this. Quinoa should be also rinsed before using.
- Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Garlic, Carrots: These veggies add lots of flavor to the sauce, along with good nutrition. You can substitute any color bell pepper.
- Spinach Leaves: We all need to up our greens intake and no one will ever guess that there are 3 cups of spinach in this sauce. Sometimes we need to be a little tricky.
- Crushed Tomatoes, Diced Tomatoes, and Tomato Paste: Lots of tomatoes, an essential ingredient in a Bolognese sauce.
- Red Pepper Flakes, Dried Basil and Oregano, Salt: You probably have all of these in your pantry.
- Balsamic Vinegar: A couple tablespoons of tangy/sweet balsamic really rounds out the sauce and balances out the acidic tomatoes. It takes the place of the wine that is traditionally added to a Bolognese.
- Cooked Pasta, Parmesan Cheese (optional), and Fresh Basil (optional)
How To Make Vegan Bolognese
Let’s get started! I’ll walk you through the steps. You’ll need a saucepan, and a large heavy skillet with a cover or a Dutch oven. You’ll also need a food processor or blender.
Simmer the carrots and lentils. Peel or scrub the carrots and cut them into pretty good-sized chunks, an inch or so. You don’t want them too small because you’ll be picking them out of the lentils after they cook. Place the lentils and chopped carrots into the saucepan with a couple cups of water or broth. Bring them to a simmer, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until they are tender.
Sauté vegetables. Meanwhile, in the Dutch oven or skillet, sauté the onion and bell pepper in a bit of olive oil until softened.
Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and spinach and stir continually for a minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant and the spinach is wilted. Remove the pan from the heat.
Process until smooth. Put the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs, cooked spinach mixture, and cooked carrots, but not the lentils, in a blender or food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth.
Combine. In the same large pan, heat the diced tomatoes and vinegar. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits (deglaze the pan). Add the contents of the blender, along with the uncooked quinoa and cooked lentils.
Simmer. Stir well, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer the sauce for 45 to 50 minutes, or longer if you want.
Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed on the package.
Serve. Serve vegan Bolognese sauce over a hearty pasta such as rigatoni, penne, tagliatelle, or fettuccine. Try whole wheat pasta or gluten-free pasta. Top with grated Parmesan or a vegan cheese, or skip the cheese if you prefer.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your Bolognese pasta dinner with warm crusty bread with dipping oil (restaurant style) is always a hit. A simple green salad with homemade Italian dressing or creamy Italian is a good choice, too. For special occasions, an Aperol spritz cocktail is fun and easy.
More Bolognese Recipes
- Instant Pot Bolognese: It’s a game changer, ready in an hour!
- Turkey Bolognese recipe: This recipe is made on the stovetop with ground turkey and turkey sausage, and it’s super flavorful. You can also substitute ground beef and regular Italian sausage if you prefer.
Freeze it: This recipe makes a big batch, about 8 cups of sauce, so it’s a good choice for food prepping. Serve half of it tonight and freeze the other half for an easy future meal.
Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover sauce can be covered and refrigerated for three to five days. It also freezes well and will keep for up to three months in a freezer safe container. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Microwave individual portions until heated through. For larger amounts, warm the sauce up on the stove in a saucepan.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #58. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list.
More Pasta Sauce Recipes
Vegan Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked brown or green lentils (sorted and rinsed)
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more to taste)
- 3 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
For Serving:
- cooked pasta of your choice
- grated Parmesan cheese (or use vegan cheese, if desired)
- fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together lentils, carrots and water or broth. (If you're using water instead of broth, add ½ teaspoon kosher salt.) Bring lentils to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender and the lentils are cooked.1 cup uncooked brown or green lentils, 3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks, 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- Meanwhile, in a deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, red bell pepper, and salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onion becomes translucent, 7 to 8 minutes.2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped, 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and spinach (see note) and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat.3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes , 3 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
- To a blender or food processor, add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sautéed vegetables, basil, and oregano. Once the lentils have cooked, remove the carrots from the cooked mixture (it's okay if a few lentils are clinging to the carrots), and add the carrots to the blender or food processor along with the tomato/vegetable mixture. Process until smooth.1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon dried basil, 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- Place the skillet or Dutch oven back on medium heat. Add diced tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Add the puréed tomato mixture, quinoa, and cooked lentils back to the pan you used to cook the veggies, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 45 to 50 minutes or until quinoa is cooked, stirring occasionally.½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on the package. Before draining, reserve ½ cup pasta water to thin out the sauce, if necessary.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed. Combine with cooked pasta, adding pasta water if needed. If you prefer, serve the sauce on cooked pasta. Garnish with basil and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- Pro tip: Because the vegetables are going to be processed in the food processor after they’re cooked, you don’t have to worry about finely dicing them. The pieces can be fairly large. This is especially true of the carrots. I leave those in 1-inch pieces so they can more easily be separated from the lentils after they’re cooked.
- Spinach: Blending the sautéed spinach into the sauce does affect the color of the sauce, turning it somewhat brownish. If you prefer, the spinach can be reserved until just before you serve the sauce. Simply stir the raw spinach leaves into the sauce; it will cook quickly. Another option is to omit the spinach entirely.
- Make ahead: This recipe makes a big batch, about 8 cups. It freezes well, and will keep for up to 3 months. Store in labeled freezer-safe containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheat in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat until hot.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
This tasted delicious tonight on whole wheat linguini and a bit of Parmesan cheese on top! Like HPierce, mine also looked brown… more like sludge with chunks in it! Maybe because I used beef broth instead of water or vegetable broth, or maybe blended it too long…) Thankfully it tasted great… my son had his on top of cheese raviolis & didn’t comment about the appearance. I’ll make this again!
Yeahhhh the color of this can be a little… unappealing. But it’s so tasty! Glad you and your son liked it!
Loved this, It was delicious!
I added the spinach at the end instead of into the blender and that worked really well. I also added a little maple syrup and this was so so nice and I will not be buying faux meat again as this is a brilliant replacement and so healthy!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
This looks incredible! It is my girlfriends birthday in two days; I will be giving this recipe a try for sure! <3 Question though, we are only two people, can I cut this recipe in half? Will it still work? :) Thanks!
That should work just fine!
This was EXCELLENT!
I’m so happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!