Vegan Lentil Bolognese

I finally managed to upload one of my requested lentil recipes. I don’t know why but I got a lot of questions how I prepare my lentils on instagram so here we go. When I cook lentils most of the time there are two possible outcomes:

1. Lentil bolognese with pasta or rice
2. Red lentil soup

I will start with the lentil bolognese recipe today but I promise to upload the recipe for my red lentils as soon as possible.

Lentils are definitely a staple in my pantry. You can easily store them, they are rich in protein and simply delicious. As I said I love red lentils and mountain lentils the most but beluga lentils and actually any other kind of lentils are fine with me. I would write down a list here but there are over 50 different types of lentils which differ not only in the taste but also their soaking and cooking times.

Red or yellow lentils are probably the easiest to prepare as they only need to be cooked for about 10-15 minutes. Mountain lentils also only take 30-40 minutes without soaking them beforehand. Especially for autumn and the colder season they are the ideal warming lunch or dinner and can be eaten the next day as well (in my opinion they taste even better then because they soak up all the flavors overnight).

What I also love about lentils is that you can use them for a lot of dishes. Whether you are making burger patties, spreads, soups, curries, dhals or anything else that comes to your mind they make a filling ingredient. Furthermore they are little powerhouses full of plant based protein and iron.

This lentil bolognese is:

• warming and delicious
• rich in protein and nutrients
• ideal as post workout meal especially in combination with rice
• easy to prepare in advance

One last little tip. Acid usually adds the last little twist so adding a little bit of apple cider vinegar at the end of the cooking time can really step up the lentil game. It is also really important to always cook legumes properly as they contain lectins in their raw state which are toxic and are only destroyed with heat.

As always it would be great if you tag me and use the hashtag #cookwithtanith if you recreate any of my recipes 🙂 happy cooking and enjoy!

Not in the mood for lentils? Try my falafel bowl instead.

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Vegan Lentil Bolognese

Author Tanith Schmelzeisen

Ingredients

• 200 g mountain lentils (brown lentils)
• 400 ml vegetable broth
• 1 big onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 3 sundried tomatoes
• 3 carrots
• 500 ml sieved tomatoes
• salt, chili & pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• thyme & marjoram
• 250 g pasta of your choice

Instructions

• Rinse and drain the lentils well. In a pot add the lentils and vegetable broth, bring it to a boil and let it simmer at low heat for about 30-40 minutes.
• Dice onion and garlic and cut the carrots into cubes.
• Add a bit of oil (I use coconut) in a pan and fry onion, garlic and carrots. Add the tomato paste, herbs and spices and fry for two more minutes.
• Add the cooked lentils to the pan and deglaze with the sieved tomatoes.
• Cook the pasta and meanwhile let the lentil bolognese simmer.
• Give the dish the final seasoning with salt, pepper and chili and serve with the cooked pasta.

Notes

*Rice also goes really well with this dish.
**I am currently obsessed with pasta made of legumes, the one pictures is actually made of edamame and mungo beans.