Veggie-Packed Lentil Bolognese (Meatless Pasta Night)

I’m super excited because In this post, I’m sharing my go-to Lentil Bolognese recipe.

This is an awesome alternative to a traditional meat bolognese. It’s packed full of protein from the lentils, loaded with delicious veggies, and honestly? It’s pretty simple to throw together. I can’t wait to share it with you!

Why You’ll Love This

• The “Secret Ingredient” Wonder: I use a little trick with vegetable stock powder right in the veggie paste that amps up the flavor instantly.
• Freezer Friendly: I love making a big batch and freezing it. It is really, really handy if you’re running late and just want a quick, easy dinner.
• Versatile Comfort Food: While it’s perfect on penne, it’s also beautiful over broccolini, kale, or—for real winter comfort—served on top of a baked sweet potato or jacket potato.

things we need

Special Equipment:

• Food Processor (or Thermomix)
• Large heavy-bottomed frying pan or Dutch oven

Ingredients:

• The Veggie Paste:
  • 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup (approx. 150g) button or cremini mushrooms
  • 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Small handful fresh basil (leaves and stalks)
  • ½ tsp vegetable stock powder (or ½ a bouillon cube, crumbled)
• The Cook:
  • Generous glug of olive oil
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 x 400g (14oz) tins brown lentils, drained and rinsed (approx. 500g drained weight)
  • Splash of red wine (approx. ¼ cup)
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • Splash of balsamic vinegar (approx. 1 tbsp)
  • 1 jar (approx. 700g/24oz) tomato passata (tomato puree)
  • 1 can (400g/14oz) whole or diced tomatoes
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper or red chili flakes (optional, to taste)
• To Serve:
  • Fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • Olive oil (for drizzling)
  • Cooked pasta (penne works great), baked potatoes, or steamed greens

instruction

The Veggie Paste Technique

To start off, when making a bolognese, I like making a paste of all the vegetables rather than just chopping them. It creates this incredible, thick base. Throw capsicum (bell pepper), celery, carrots, mushrooms, onion, and garlic right into the food processor.

Equipment Tip: If you don’t have a food processor, you can finely dice everything by hand. It’s obviously going to take a little bit longer—it’s a bit more of a labor of love—but it works! If you have a Thermomix, that will also work brilliantly.

Blitz the mix until it’s a firm paste, and then I add my secret ingredient: half a teaspoon of vegetable stock powder. This seasons the veggies from the inside out before they even hit the pan.

The Long Simmer

Once that veggie paste has sweated down in some olive oil and smells amazing, we start layering in the flavor.

Add smoked paprika, sweet paprika, and thyme, followed by the lentils. I prefer using canned lentils because it’s a lot quicker for a weeknight, but if you have the time, you can certainly soak dry lentils overnight.

For that traditional Italian vibe, Add a splash of red wine and let it cook off. Then, Add rosemary, a splash of balsamic vinegar for a hint of sweetness, and both passata and tinned tomatoes. I really like the texture of having both in the sauce.

The Finishing Touches

Ideally, you want to let this cook for about an hour. The longer, obviously, the better—just like a traditional meat sauce.

After a slow simmer, Finish it off with fresh basil and a little bit of cayenne pepper for a subtle kick. It is seriously so good!

Whether you’re serving this over pasta or a fluffy jacket potato, it’s the ultimate healthy comfort meal. Enjoy!

Checkout more recipes

• Sheet Pan Lemon Herb Salmon and Veggies
• Vegan Chickpea Salad for Sandwiches & Wraps
• Easy Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies (Mediterranean Style!)

If you like this recipe Explore more recipes

Save

Ultimate Lentil Bolognese

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: DinnerCuisine: Italian-Inspired / VeganDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

280

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

20

minutes

A hearty, protein-packed plant-based bolognese made with a savory vegetable paste, red wine, and tender lentils. Perfect for pasta, jacket potatoes, or meal prep.

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• Food Processor

• Large Pot or Dutch Oven

• Spatula

• Ingredients:

• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), roughly chopped

• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

• 150g (1 cup) mushrooms, cleaned

• 1 large onion, quartered

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

• ½ tsp vegetable stock powder

• 2 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for serving)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp sweet paprika

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 2 x 400g tins brown lentils, drained and rinsed

• 60ml (¼ cup) red wine

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• Handful fresh basil, chopped (plus extra for garnish)

• 700g (24 oz) jar tomato passata

• 400g (14 oz) tin whole or diced tomatoes

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

• Black pepper to taste

Directions

• Prepare the Veggie Base: In a food processor, combine capsicum, celery, carrots, mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Blitz until you have a fine, firm paste.
• Season the Base: Add a few torn basil leaves (stalks included) and the vegetable stock powder to the processor. Pulse briefly to mix.
• Sauté: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the veggie paste and cook for 5 minutes, allowing it to sweat down.
• Bloom Spices: Stir in smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried thyme, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
• Lentils & Deglaze: Add the rinsed lentils to the pan. Pour in the splash of red wine and cook for 1 minute on high heat.
• Build the Sauce: Stir in the rosemary, balsamic vinegar, fresh chopped basil, passata, and tinned tomatoes (break them up with your spoon if using whole).
• Simmer: Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Final Adjustments: Taste for seasoning. Add cayenne pepper if you like a little heat.
• Serve: Ladle over cooked pasta, baked potatoes, or greens. Garnish with fresh basil and a final glug of olive oil.

Notes

• Storage: This freezes beautifully! I like making a big batch and freezing it in portions for quick dinners.
  
• Texture: Using a food processor saves time and creates a thick, rich sauce texture that clings to pasta.
  
• Lentil Swap: I prefer canned lentils for speed, but if you want to use dry, soak 1 cup of dry green/brown lentils overnight, rinse, and add them (you may need to add approx. 1 cup of veggie broth/water to the pot if using dry).
  
• Serving: Try this on a baked sweet potato for a gluten-free “winter comfort” meal.