Warming and bursting with flavor, this hearty lentil bolognese does not disappoint!
Bolognese. I can still smell the aroma of pasta bolognese coming from the kitchen when my grandfather would make it. It was one of his signature dishes that I looked forward to every time that we were together. When I was young, I would stand on a stool by the counter and watch everything he did. He was Italian, which makes me ¼ Italian, kind of? I sadly cannot speak the language and do not have an Italian passport, but I do have a true love for Italian cuisine. Maybe because it is in my blood or maybe because there is just so much amazing Italian food out there! And even better, tons of it can be revamped into plant-based dishes with just a few adjustments.
Which is what brings me to…Lentil Bolognese!
I didn’t think that it would be possible, but this recipe gives me the same feeling of satisfaction as my grandfather’s bolognese. However, his meat-rich bolognese tasted great going down but always made me feel overly full. I always felt like I needed to unbutton my pants afterwards! This lentil bolognese is super satisfying but is still light enough that you can enjoy it year-round.
Van-kitchen approved!
I made this recipe several times while we were living in the van. We spent about 2.5 months in Italy, so making a lot of pasta dishes just seemed right! This recipe is super adaptable, for example if you don´t have celery or mushrooms you can omit them without a problem.
When cooking at my apartment I like to use the cooking times that I have listed in the recipe to really let all of the flavors come together. But there were many times in the van where I made a quick and dirty version to save gas for the stove. If you want to do a quick version, feel free to use canned lentils and cut down on the cooking times after adding the tomato mixture and the lentils. It will still come out super yum…I promise!
The “Holy Trinity” of Italian cooking
This recipe begins with the “holy trinity” of Italian cooking (“Soffritto” in Italian) which consists of onion, celery, and carrots. These 3 ingredients are frequently used as a base in Italian dishes. They are commonly chopped into 1/2cm pieces (or 1 cm pieces if you are feeling lazy, like I usually am) and sauteed in olive oil. It is important for them to all be cut into the same size to cook evenly. “Soffrito” actually means “fried slowly” in Italian, which refers to cooking the onion, celery, and carrots in slowly in oil to release their flavor. It is best to saute this mixture on low heat for at least 5 minutes with olive oil to allow the vegetables to sweat out all of their flavors.
Originally, I always tried to cook the lentils in the same pot at the pasta sauce, simply to keep it a “one-pot-meal”. This always resulted in me getting impatient and diving into the snack drawer because the lentils took longer than usual to cook! Which is why I started cooking the lentils separately and adding them in towards the end, shortening the entire cooking time of the dish.
Lentils vs. Beef
Given that we are veganizing this recipe by simply swapping out lentils for beef, I thought it would be helpful to compare nutritional, environmental, and price information of the two.
Nutritional Benefits
| Serving: 1/2 cup (99g) | Lentils | Ground Beef (93% Lean) |
| Calories | 140 | 190 |
| Total Fat (g) | 0.5 | 8 |
| Saturated Fat (g) | 0 | 4 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 0 | 88 |
| Sodium (g) | 2.5 | 58 |
| Total Carbohydrates (g) | 23 | 0 |
| Dietary Fiber (g) | 9 | 0 |
| Protein (g) | 12 | 27 |
As you can see, lentils contain almost no fat and are packed with soluble fiber, slowing digestion which helps you stay fuller for longer. It can also help lower risk of heart disease. Not only do lentils contain zero cholesterol, the soluble fiber that they contain actually prevents some dietary cholesterol from being broken down and digested, which can lower cholesterol levels over time. So not only do they not contain cholesterol, they actually fight cholesterol in the body!
On the other hand, the ground beef contains 8g of fat, half of which is saturated. Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels, which may increase risk of heart disease. It also contains zero fiber. Of course, ground beef does have more protein. But when you take into account the added fiber that the lentils contain, you will be filling full for a long time, don´t worry!
Environmental Impact
Environmentally speaking, lentils are a MUCH more sustainable option than beef! According to a recent article in the New York Times, beef accounts for over 40 times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions than lentils.
If you make the effort to swap out lentils for beef just once a week, you could be saving up to 329 kilograms of carbon dioxide that would be pumped into the atmosphere. That is equivalent to 36.5 gallons of gas!
Subbing the lentils for beef in this dish is a super easy (and delicious!) way to decrease your environmental footprint.
Which is cheaper?
It kills me when people say eating plant-based is expensive. I say that eating meat is expensive! Here is an example of what you save when swapping out lentils for beef:
| Dollars/lb | Euros/kilo | |
| Lentils | $1.25 | 2,75€ |
| Beef (93% Lean) | $5.24 | 11,53€ |
Sooo…are you jumping on the lentil train or what?
Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried brown lentils See Note 1. Can sub 14 oz. can of lentils
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped white, brown, or red
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, cut small into 1cm pieces
- 1 stick of celery, cut into 1cm pieces
- 4 oz baby bella or button mushrooms, sliced about 2 cups
- 28 oz diced tomatoes 2 cans
- 1/2 cup red wine can omit, see note 2
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 6 oz black olives, sliced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (a few good cracks)
- 1 tbs balsalmic vinegar
- 16 oz fettuccine pasta See Note 3
Instructions
- Before chopping, bring water in a saucepan to a boil and cook lentils according to package instructions. For brown lentils this takes about 25-30 minutes.
- Once all of your ingredients are chopped, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes.
- Add carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt and cook together for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have started to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
- Add mushrooms and another pinch of salt and cook until they have started to brown and release their liquid, about 5 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes, red wine, tomato paste, herbs, olives, and ¼ tsp of salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the lentils are finished cooking, strain, rinse, and add to pasta sauce. Taste the pasta sauce and add seasonings as needed, adding more salt to taste, herbs for balance, and maybe some more red wine if you are feeling frisky! Cook together for an additional 10 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve at least a 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- Add the pasta to the pasta sauce along with ¼-½ cup of the pasta water, just enough so that the sauce is not too thick and mixes well with the pasta. Mix well.
- Divide into bowls and serve, garnishing with a drizzle of olive oil and basil if you like. Enjoy!