At a glance

What stands out: This vegan version of popular Bolognese pasta sauce is made with lentils and quinoa to give the sauce a meaty texture. Even our meat-loving husband loves vegan Bolognese!

How long it takes: 30 minutes to prep, an hour or so to simmer
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet or Dutch oven, medium saucepan, blender or food processor
Servings: 8

Everyone who chooses vegetarian, whether it’s for one night a week or for a lifetime, does it for different reasons. Whether you’re concerned about the health of our planet, the health of your body, or just trying to eat on a budget, meatless meals make good sense.

We think you’re going to love this vegan Bolognese pasta sauce. It’s satisfying and you can feel good about serving a rich and lighter meal to your family.

Vegan Bolognese Sauce

Totally rich! The flavor of the sauce is so good, with lots of tomatoes, herbs, and spices, and just a splash of rich balsamic vinegar. While a classic Bolognese usually includes cream, this recipe is dairy-free.

A meaty texture. The combined texture of the lentils and quinoa is hearty and feels like ground beef. It’s so much better-tasting than fake ground beef or beef crumbles which often are high in saturated fats and sodium.

Uses pantry ingredients. The list of ingredients looks pretty long but don’t be intimidated. It’s straightforward stuff like canned tomatoes, dry herbs and seasonings, carrots and onions. We always have our pantry stocked with lentils and quinoa, and they keep forever. Vegan Bolognese is a good choice when you don’t happen to have meat in the refrigerator, or you only have frozen meat.

Cooking time is flexible. Total cooking time is about one hour minimum (that doesn’t include prep) but the sauce can simmer for as long as you need to. In fact, once you have it prepped, it can simmer in your slow cooker for a few hours if that works out better for your schedule.

Gill Said:

“Loved this, it was rich! … we will not be buying faux meat again as this is a brilliant replacement and so lighter!”

See More Reader Reviews Spaghetti with vegan sauce.

What goes in

Brown or Green Lentils: Lentils are a fast-cooking legume and are a good source of protein. Dry lentils usually come in a bag; look for either brown or green lentils. Before using lentils, be sure to sort out any foreign material and rinse them with cool water.
Quinoa: Quinoa is actually a seed but is often considered a whole grain. It is gluten-free and high in protein. It comes in different colors. We usually use white quinoa for recipes like this. Quinoa should be also rinsed before using.
Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Garlic, Carrots: These veggies add lots of flavor to the sauce, along with good nutrition. You can substitute any color bell pepper.
Spinach Leaves: We all need to up our greens intake and no one will ever guess that there are 3 cups of spinach in this sauce. Sometimes we need to be a little tricky.
Crushed Tomatoes, Diced Tomatoes, and Tomato Paste: Lots of tomatoes, an essential ingredient in a Bolognese sauce.
Red Pepper Flakes, Dried Basil and Oregano, Salt: You probably have all of these in your pantry.
Balsamic Vinegar: A couple tablespoons of tangy/sweet balsamic rounds out the sauce and balances out the acidic tomatoes. It takes the place of the wine that is traditionally added to a Bolognese.
Cooked Pasta, Parmesan Cheese (optional), and Fresh Basil (optional)

How it comes together

Let’s get started! We'll walk you through the steps. You’ll need a saucepan, and a large heavy skillet with a cover or a Dutch oven. You’ll also need a food processor or blender.

Simmer the carrots and lentils. Peel or scrub the carrots and cut them into pretty good-sized chunks, an inch or so. You don’t want them too small because you’ll be picking them out of the lentils after they cook. Place the lentils and chopped carrots into the saucepan with a couple cups of water or broth. Bring them to a simmer, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until they are tender.

Sauté vegetables. Meanwhile, in the Dutch oven or skillet, sauté the onion and bell pepper in a bit of olive oil until softened.

Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and spinach and stir continually for a minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant and the spinach is wilted. Remove the pan from the heat.

Process until smooth. Put the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs, cooked spinach mixture, and cooked carrots, but not the lentils, in a blender or food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth.

Combine. In the same large pan, heat the diced tomatoes and vinegar. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits (deglaze the pan). Add the contents of the blender, along with the uncooked quinoa and cooked lentils.

Simmer. Stir well, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer the sauce for 45 to 50 minutes, or longer if you want.

Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed on the package.

Serve. Serve vegan Bolognese sauce over a hearty pasta such as rigatoni, penne, tagliatelle, or fettuccine. Try whole wheat pasta or gluten-free pasta. Top with grated Parmesan or a vegan cheese, or skip the cheese if you prefer.

Ways to serve it

Serve your Bolognese pasta dinner with warm crusty bread with dipping oil (restaurant style) is always a hit. A simple green salad with from-scratch Italian dressing or creamy Italian is a good choice, too. For special occasions, an Aperol spritz cocktail is fun and straightforward.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Freeze it: This recipe makes a big batch, about 8 cups of sauce, so it’s a good choice for food prepping. Serve half of it tonight and freeze the other half for a straightforward future meal.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover sauce can be covered and refrigerated for three to five days. It also freezes well and will keep for up to three months in a freezer safe container. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheat: Microwave individual portions until heated through. For larger amounts, warm the sauce up on the stove in a saucepan.

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Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #58. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list.

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Yield: 8
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked brown or green lentils (sorted and rinsed)
3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more to taste)
3 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

For Serving:

cooked pasta of your choice
grated Parmesan cheese (or use vegan cheese, if desired)
fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Method

In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together lentils, carrots and water or broth. (If you're using water instead of broth, add ½ teaspoon kosher salt.) Bring lentils to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender and the lentils are cooked.
Meanwhile, in a deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, red bell pepper, and salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onion becomes translucent, 7 to 8 minutes.
Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and spinach (see note) and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
To a blender or food processor, add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sautéed vegetables, basil, and oregano. Once the lentils have cooked, remove the carrots from the cooked mixture (it's okay if a few lentils are clinging to the carrots), and add the carrots to the blender or food processor along with the tomato/vegetable mixture. Process until smooth.
Place the skillet or Dutch oven back on medium heat. Add diced tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the puréed tomato mixture, quinoa, and cooked lentils back to the pan you used to cook the veggies, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 45 to 50 minutes or until quinoa is cooked, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on the package. Before draining, reserve ½ cup pasta water to thin out the sauce, if necessary.
Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed. Combine with cooked pasta, adding pasta water if needed. If you prefer, serve the sauce on cooked pasta. Garnish with basil and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

Pro tip: Because the vegetables are going to be processed in the food processor after they’re cooked, you don’t have to worry about finely dicing them. The pieces can be fairly large. This is especially true of the carrots. We leave those in 1-inch pieces so they can more easily be separated from the lentils after they’re cooked.

Spinach: Blending the sautéed spinach into the sauce does affect the color of the sauce, turning it somewhat brownish. If you prefer, the spinach can be reserved until just before you serve the sauce. Simply stir the raw spinach leaves into the sauce; it will cook quickly. Another option is to omit the spinach entirely.

Make ahead: This recipe makes a big batch, about 8 cups. It freezes well, and will keep for up to 3 months. Store in labeled freezer-safe containers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Reheat in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat until hot.