This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
You won’t believe it until you try it, but our accidentally vegan Lentil Bolognese takes less than 30 minutes to make! Delicious tossed with thick, wide sheets of our cheats pappardelle pasta and topped with a scattering of crunchy pangrattato (poor man’s parmesan) it is the perfect recipe for busy evenings.
Using a pouch of pre-cooked beluga lentils and plenty of hearty chestnut mushrooms for depth this is out new favourite healthy vegetarian bolognese recipe. It’s a lentil bolognese without all the frills (but still with all the flavour) you’ve got to try to believe.
Quick and easy enough to make for dinner tonight, but still elegant enough to serve to guests or for an at-home date night. What could be better?
Ingredients
- olive oil (or any other neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point)
- pouch of beluga lentils (or any other dark cooked lentils from a pouch, or even tinned lentils will work with a drained weight of approx. 250g – we like Merchant Gourmet’s simply cooked beluga lentils)
- red onion
- garlic
- chestnut mushrooms (you can substitute white mushrooms here if that is what you can find but you won’t get the same depth of flavour)
- passata
- vegetable stock
- soy sauce (or tamari if you are looking to make this vegan lentil bolognese gluten free!)
- ketchup (make sure this is gluten free if this is important to you)
- lasagne sheets or pappardelle pasta (we like to serve this bolognese with flat, wide pasta shapes but any you have on hand will still be delicious – we find you get a fatter, more satisfying pappardelle by cutting up pre-made lasagne sheets)
- fresh breadcrumbs (blitzed from the end of a good white loaf or sourdough work best here)
- fresh parsley
What is Pangrattato?
Pangrattato is an Italian garnish of crispy fried breadcrumbs, sometimes plain, sometimes flavoured with garlic and herbs. They’re a great ‘poor man’s parmesan’ and give great texture to pasta dishes – pangrattato is also the perfect swap for parmesan when you’re making a vegan pasta dish.
Directions
Step 1
Finely dice the red onion and mushrooms. Sauté with a little oil and the crushed garlic until soft.
Step 2
Stir in the lentils.
Step 3
Add the passata, vegetable stock, soy sauce, and ketchup and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, cook the lasagne sheets with a dash of oil to stop them sticking together. Once cooked, drain and slice lengthways to great the pappardelle.
Step 5
Sauté the breadcrumbs and a little olive oil until golden and crisp and set aside.
Step 6
Start the pasta through the Bolognese and plate top with a big sprinkle of the pangratatto and some chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
What we love about this lentil bolognese recipe is it is adaptable to most black or brown varieties of either pre-cooked lentil pouches or tinned lentils. You’re looking for a drained weight of approx. 250g. Puy lentils would be good, as would regular brown or green lentils. Or even a mixture!
Yes — keep it in labelled freezer bags for up to 3 months. If you are planning on freezing it, making this a tinned lentil bolognese (see ingredient notes above) might be a good option as tinned lentils tend to keep their shape better than ones from a pouch.
As we mentioned above, we like wide flat pasta here as it works well with the lentils in the bolognese, but if you prefer smaller shapes penne would be good, or pasta bows. Try to avoid something with tight grooves the lentils might be a little large to catch in.
You Might Also Enjoy
- Creamy Lemon Butter Pasta Sauce
- Easy Boursin Pasta Sauce
- Spicy Nduja Pasta Sauce Recipe
- Easy Creamy Sausage Pasta Recipe with White Wine
- Creamy Lemon Ricotta Pesto Pasta
Lentil Bolognese with Pappardelle and Pangrattato
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 5-6 chestnut mushrooms
- 250 g beluga lentils, pre-cooked in a pouch
- 500 g tomato passata
- 200 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 6 lasagne sheets
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Finely dice the red onion and mushrooms and sauté with a little oil and the crushed garlic until soft.
- Add the lentils followed by the passata, vegetable stock, soy sauce, and ketchup, and simmer for five minutes.
- Boil the lasagna sheets in a shallow pan with a dash of oil to avoid them sticking together. Once cooked, drain and sliced the pasta sheets lengthways to create the pappardelle.
- Sauté the breadcrumbs and a little olive oil until golden and crisp and set aside.
- Stir the pasta through the bolognese and plate top with a big sprinkle of the pangratatto and some chopped parsley.
