Vegan Lentil Bolognese – Beef free bliss!
- Updated on Jan 11, 2022
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We’ve got a delicious vegan lentil bolognese recipe for you today! Spaghetti bolognese (or spag bol as we Brits like to call it!) is an all time favourite, a nostalgic dish that reminds me of school night dinners as a kid.
This lentil spaghetti bolognese is a healthier, meat and dairy-free version of the classic pasta recipe, for those of you looking to transition to a more plant-based diet!
Why is our lentil bolognese better than beef?
Our vegan lentil bolognese recipe might not be entirely true to the Italian classic, but it is certainly healthier!
Following in the footsteps of previous recipes like our bean and pasta casserole, we have designed a healthy pasta sauce recipe that swaps out ingredients like meat and butter for lighter alternatives like lentils and a little olive oil.
Let’s look more closely at some of the swaps in this vegan spaghetti bolognese!
Better than butter: olive oil!
Instead of butter, our vegan bolognese uses olive oil. Butter contains saturated fat, the unhealthy kind that raises cholesterol. However, olive oil contains mainly unsaturated fat, the healthy kind, which actively lowers cholesterol. Healthy swap number 1, TICK!
Why meat gets the chop!
The biggest swap we have to make is meat, of course – we are a vegetarian blog after all! Traditional bolognese uses red meat, usually beef, but we have opted for lentils, in order to make sure this is a healthy vegetarian pasta recipe.
Here’s a table comparing 100g beef to 100g lentils, so you can see the benefits for yourself!
| 100g beef, source: Healthline | 100g cooked lentils, source: Medical News Today | |
| Calories | 217kcal | 116kcal |
| Fat | 11.8g | 0.38g |
| Fibre | 0g | 7.9g |
| Protein | 26g | 9.02g |
Sure, beef does outstrip lentils on protein content, but in every other area, lentils outrun beef every time! 0.38g fat instead of 11.8g fat? I’ll take a lentil bolognese every time!
If you are looking for this healthy vegetarian recipe as part of an effort to lose weight as a vegetarian, you should also check out our vegetarian weight loss meal plans! There’s a lot more where this comes from!
Ingredients
- 5 oz wholegrain spaghetti
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ small white onion
- 2 clove garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup basil, fresh (packed and chopped)
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 can tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup red or brown lentils (cooked or canned and drained)
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp walnuts (chopped)
- 1 tbsp vegetarian parmesan or nutritional yeast
Optional
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery
Instructions
- Prepare a pot of salted boiling water for the pasta.
- Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot cut into rough chunks and to the food processor. Pulse until the veggies are minced very finely.½ small white onion, 2 clove garlic, 1 celery, 1 carrot
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the olive oil, the minced veggies. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are translucent, have reduced, and browned lightly. Add the oregano and chopped basil leaves, cook until the fragrance of the herbs comes out (about 1 minute). Add the tomato puree, can of diced tomato, lentils, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaf and 1 cup of water. Mix and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.½ tbsp olive oil, ¼ cup basil, fresh, 1 tsp oregano, dried, 1 can tomatoes, diced, 1 cup red or brown lentils, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp tomato puree
- Meanwhile, add the pasta to the salted boiling water pot and cook until al dente (8 minutes approx). Drain pasta.5 oz wholegrain spaghetti
- Season bolognese sauce with ½ tsp of salt and 1 tsp sugar. Mix and taste. Add more salt if necessary.½ tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar
- Put the saucepan over medium heat and add walnuts and pasta. Cook and mix everything together until fully incorporated (2-4 minutes). The bolognese sauce should stick to the pasta (shouldn’t be liquidy) and have a nice consistency.2 tbsp walnuts
- Serve lentil bolognese spaghetti and top with some vegetarian parmesan or nutritional yeast and basil leaves.1 tbsp vegetarian parmesan or nutritional yeast
NOTES
Nutrition
Dave
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me.
Abril
Creator and photographer of this wonderful recipe!
I am a recipe developer and food photographer from Quito, Ecuador. I work with websites and blogs from around the world developing recipes and photographing them. I also work with online and print magazines writing about food. I dedicate my work in the kitchen and through the lens to explore food from different backgrounds, origins and diets. I would describe my style as “comfort food with a twist”. My goal is to create recipes that are homely, yet attractive, delicious and have something different and exiting to them.
Article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue
James LeBaigue
Healthy, nutritious and absurdly tasty food? That’s what I’m all about. I love recipes which are full of flavour but are good for you too. My job in family medicine led me to become a nutrition professional as well, with an aim to get people healthier just by the food they eat.
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