This Walnut lentil bolognese vegan recipe is super hearty and incredibly easy to make! Full of rich, bold flavours this tomato based sauce is a winner at the dinner table.
This Walnut lentil bolognese makes a great meal prep and leftover can be frozen for later use.
Another great pasta sauce is this easy Tomato sauce and I love to serve a nice pasta dish with some fresh baked crust bread like this Mulitseed No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread.
Ingredients
For the full ingredient measurements, scroll down to view the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion, finely chopped
- Carrots, peeled and grated
- Celery, chopped
- Garlic, minced
- Tomato paste
- Dried oregano, dried basil and sweet paprika
- Chili flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Dry red wine optional, can be substituted with vegetable broth
- Passata or crushed tomatoes
- Vegetable broth
- Dried red lentils
- Walnuts, finely chopped
Pasta, fresh basil, walnuts and vegan parmesan for serving.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spices.
- If you are using wine, add it now and let it cook down.
- Pour in the tomatoes and vegetable broth, stir to combine. Add the lentils and walnuts, stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve warm with cooked pasta of your choice and top with a sprinkle of parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy!
See recipe card for full instructions.
Hint, boil the pasta while the sauce is cooking and save a little of the pasta water to thin the sauce if needed.
Substitutions
- Pasta – use gluten free pasta instead of normal pasta to make this meal gluten-free.
- Wine – I used a dry red wine in this sauce, it really enhances the flavour of the sauce. This can also be substituted with vegetable broth.
- Tomatoes – I used passata which is a smooth Italian tomato sauce, if you like a chunkier result use crushed or diced tomatoes.
Variations
- Spicy – If you like it spicy, add a little more of the chili pepper or even hot sauce at the end of the cookie.
- Toppings – top with some freshly grated parmesan (use a vegan substitute to keep this dish vegan) Roast up some extra walnuts for a little crunch and chop some fresh basil.
- Pasta – Use your favourite! Pictured here is spaghetti but this Walnut lentil bolognese tastes great with other types of pasta like penne or macaroni.
Storage
Cool down any leftover sauce quickly and store in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for three to five days. This Walnut lentil bolognese can also be frozen to last longer. It will keep in an airtight container for up to six months.
Top tip
This recipe makes for great leftovers and is perfect for meal prep! I love to double this recipe and freeze half in a ziplock bag for later use.
This walnut lentil bolognese tastes even better the next day so its perfect to prepare in advance.
FAQ
No, the red lentils does not need to be pre cooked, they have a very fast cooking time about 10-15 minutes. If using other kinds of lentils, follow the package instructions for cook time and then add them to the sauce.
This walnut lentil bolognese is bursting with flavours and has a lot of added spices and red wine in the sauce. For an extra punch of flavour I recommend adding fresh herbs like basil or oregano and some vegan Parmesan or freshly grated parmesan for non vegan.
No, red lentils does not require soaking before adding them to this walnut lentil bolognese sauce. They cook quickly in the sauce to soak up all those good flavours.
More recipes to try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
This Walnut lentil bolognese is super hearty and incredibly easy to make! Full of rich, bold flavours this tomato based sauce is a winner at the dinner table.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 small carrots peeled and grated
- 1 celery stick chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tsp each of dried oregano, dried basil and sweet paprika
- ½-1 teaspoon chili falkes
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup dry red wine optional, can be substituted with vegetable broth
- 2 400g cans (30 ounces) passata or crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup dried red lentils rinsed and picked over
- ½ cup walnuts finely chopped
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In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spices, cook for an additional 2 minutes.
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If you are using wine, add it now and let it cook down for 2-3 min.
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Pour in the tomatoes and vegetable broth, stir to combine. Add the lentils and walnuts, stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until lentils are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
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Serve warm with cooked pasta of your choice and top with a sprinkle of parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy!
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