30-Minute Easy Lentil Bolognese | First mess

I love a vegan bolognese! One of the community’s favorite recipes on the site is this hearty Mushroom and Beet Bolognese. I have a delicious eggplant bolognese in my vegan cookbook. This comforting lentil bolognese recipe has all the depth, meatiness, and toothsome qualities of those recipes, but it cooks in just 30 minutes in the oven. The way the sauce clings to the rigatoni pasta is heavenly. Overall, this is a hearty vegan dinner that comes together with only pantry ingredients.

What makes lentil bolognese so flavorful?

• Dried porcini mushrooms: For quick and original flavor, these dried mushrooms are brilliant. Here, we soak a small amount of dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water. Once they’re rehydrated, we reserve that umami-packed soaking liquid and finely mince the mushrooms. There is no substitute for this material.
• Shallots: I prefer shallots over onions here because they have a milder flavor that develops a bit faster than onions. Perfect for this weeknight recipe!
• Tomato paste and marinara sauce: A whole can of tomato paste delivers concentrated, umami-packed tomato flavor. We cook for a few minutes to bring out that tin-y flavor. Prepared marinara sauce is a great shortcut for adding slow-marinated flavor to this quick meatless bolognese.
• Tamari: If you have made my recipes before, you are no stranger to the finishing touch of Tamari in my dishes. Here, it enhances the deeply flavorful porcini mushrooms and makes the final product even more mouthwatering.
• Aged balsamic vinegar: This product is bitter-sweet and syrupy in texture. The balance of flavors in this 3+ year old product is like no other. I find it a powerful tool in my kitchen. It accentuates the tomato-based sauce, highlighting the natural acidity, but also enhances it with sweetness.
• Non-dairy “cream” or milk: Many traditional Bolognese recipes are finished with whole milk to enhance the overall savory qualities of the sauce. We do it here with an unsweetened vegan “creamer” and it works a treat.

Instead of meat, it’s a lentil bolognese with canned lentils. This is the first time I’ve featured canned lentils on my site! Normally, I find canned lentils a little too bland for my liking, but they work well in this easy Lentil Bolognese dinner. The smoothness and velvety texture is great as they bubble up in the sauce. Plus, we love that boost of plant-based protein and fiber. For more of that goodness, go for whole grain pasta.

More vegetarian weeknight pastas:

I like to finish off this satisfying vegan pasta dinner with lots of finely chopped, chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper. If you’ve got some vegan parmesan kicking around, it’s nice here too.

30-Minute Easy Lentil Bolognese

This 30-minute easy vegetarian lentil bolognese is delicious, meaty, and beautifully clings to the rigatoni pasta. Dried porcini mushrooms, tamari, tomato paste, garlic and thyme add depth to the mouthwatering sauce. Total cook time for this hearty dinner is 30 minutes thanks to canned lentils, all on the stovetop!

Q Time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

serving 4

material

• 0.5 oz (14 g) dried porcini mushrooms and boiling water
• 2 table spoon olive oil
• 1 big shallot, finely diced
• 1 small Stick celery, finely diced
• 1 Small-medium carrots, finely diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon Smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoon Thyme leaves, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 5.5 oz (162 ml) can of tomato paste
• 19 oz (561 mL) can lentils, drained and rinsed
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 the cup Prepared marinara sauce
• 1 the cup Preserved porcini in soaking water
• 2 teaspoon Tamari I’m Willow
• 1 table spoon Aged balsamic vinegar (see vaccine)
• ⅓ the cup Non-dairy “creamer” or enriched milk (see vaccine)
• 12-14 oz (340–396 g) dry rigatoni pasta
• chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving (optional)

Comment

• Be sure to reserve 1 cup of the porcini soaking water.
• It’s really important to cook the tin-y flavor of the tomato paste as much as possible (without burning haha).
• Prepared marinara gives us deep flavor in no time with this Bolognese. My favorite brand is Rao’s.
• I use a syrupy aged balsamic vinegar here. If you’re using regular balsamic vinegar, which is more liquid, I recommend adding a teaspoon of sugar at the same time.
• Since most traditional Bolognese recipes include whole milk, I like to use an unsweetened non-dairy creamer at the end for richness. I used an oat-based product from the store that worked beautifully! Some rich milk substitutes such as soy, cashew or oat will also work in a pinch. You can blend ¼ cup of soaked and drained cashews with ¾ cup of water for a homemade option that will taste great.

instructions

• Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 30 minutes. Once rehydrated, drain the mushrooms (reserving the water). Finely chop the mushrooms and keep aside.

• Get a pot of boiling water for your pasta.

• Heat a brazier-style pot or deep skillet over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, add the olive oil and swirl around. Add the shallots, celery and carrots all at once. Stir and sauté until the vegetables are very tender and slightly caramelized, about 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat if it browns too quickly.

• Add the garlic, smoked paprika, bay leaf and thyme to the pot and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.

• Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir for about 2-3 minutes, until the tomato paste thickens slightly. Add the drained lentils and chopped porcini mushrooms and stir. Season with salt and pepper.

• Add marinara sauce and porcini soaking liquid to pot and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes with the pot partially covered. Check in and stir the sauce here and there. While this is happening, start cooking your pasta – cook according to package directions minus 2 minutes (the pasta is finished in the sauce).

• After simmering for 10 minutes, add the tamari and balsamic vinegar to the lentil bolognese sauce and stir. Add the non-dairy creamer and stir. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Take out bay leaves and fish.

• Keep the sauce simmering while you add most of the cooked pasta. Return the sauce and pasta to the heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Serve warm bolognese with chopped parsley, if desired.