A comforting and hearty vegan bolognese over whole wheat spaghetti that is done in 30 minutes! It’s got all the traditional flavors with heart-healthy lentils, making this a low-calorie pasta dish for the whole family!
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My family loves pasta! I think my kids would eat pasta every day if we let them. I always serve them whole wheat, chickpea, or lentil pasta; they never complain.
If you’re trying to ease your family into more plant-based recipes, this will soon become one of your favorite weeknight meals! This vegan bolognese recipe is a comforting, easy, delicious meal that’s kid-approved. I consider it a lazy vegan recipe (or quick and easy) because it comes together effortlessly!
This vegan lentil bolognese has all the traditional flavors and elements of the classic Italian sauce with chopped veggies, tomatoes, a touch of red wine, and a coconut cream finish. It’s a great sauce to make in advance when planning your vegan prep meals for the week!
💗 Why You’ll Love Vegan Bolognese
- Traditional Flavors
- Oil-Free
- Whole Grain (high in fiber
- Uses Pantry Staples
- Family Friendly
- Healthy Comfort Food
- Good Source of Protein
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Mirepoix: A mirepoix combines chopped onion, celery, and carrots.
Tomato Paste: This helps to thicken the sauce and give it a robust tomato flavor.
Vegetable Stock: It’s best to use low-sodium vegetable stock or homemade if you have it.
Tomato Puree: You’ll need one 28-30-ounces of tomato puree. Use either two 15 ounce cans, or one 28 ounce can.
Brown Lentils: Provides an excellent meaty texture to the sauce. Use pre-cooked lentils to speed up the cooking time.
Low-Fat Coconut Milk: Adds a touch of richness to the sauce.
Bay Leaves: Enhances the flavor of the sauce. Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving.
Whole Wheat Spaghetti: High in fiber, whole wheat spaghetti is healthier and more filling than white pasta. Feel free to substitute for your favorite pasta, such as tagliatelle, pappardelle, or penne pasta. Use rice noodles, chickpea pasta, or lentil pasta for a gluten-free option.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Vegan Bolognese
- Prepare pasta in a large pot according to the package instructions.
- While the pasta is boiling, sauté the chopped onions, celery, and carrots in ¼ cup of vegetable stock or olive oil for 5 minutes over medium heat or until the mixture becomes tender.
- Add the tomato sauce, paste, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and optional white wine, and boil.
- Add the brown lentils. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
- Stir in the coconut milk.
- Drain the pasta and incorporate it into the sauce. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley or fresh basil, and serve!
📝 Expert Tips
- Incorporate the pasta into the sauce before serving by adding the drained pasta to the saucepan.
- To make this low-carb or add more veggies, serve with zucchini noodles instead of whole wheat spaghetti.
- For an authentic bolognese, add ¼ cup of white wine.
- Serve with fresh chopped parsley.
- Sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast.
- You can use a variety of lentils in this dish. Brown lentils have great texture. But red lentils cook more quickly.
- Alternatively, you can purchase pre-cooked lentils to speed up the cooking time. I buy pre-cooked lentils from the vegetable section at Trader Joe’s.
❓ FAQS
Both Ragu and Bolognese are traditional Italian sauces. They are also both traditionally meat-based. Ragu has a small amount of tomato sauce and more chopped vegetables, including carrots and celery. It also has a touch of red wine, broth, and cream. Ragu is traditionally served with spaghetti. Bolognese recipes are a variation of ragu. It has fewer tomatoes and uses white wine instead of red. It doesn’t include chopped or minced elements like a traditional ragu. Bolognese is traditionally served with fatter noodles such as fettuccine or lasagna.
Bolognese sauce is a traditional Italian meat-based sauce originating from Bologna, Italy. The main ingredients typically include ground meat, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, red wine, milk, stock, and olive oil. To make a vegan version, you need to substitute the meat with a plant-based option, such as lentils, and the milk with a plant-based
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve topped with fresh parsley or basil. Sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, a sprinkle of salt, and fresh cracked pepper or red pepper flakes. Add some chopped walnuts for a crunchy texture. Serve with vegan garlic bread and a glass of white wine!
🫙 Storage
Fridge: Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Prepare the pasta fresh when you’re ready to serve.
Freeze: Place in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Prepare pasta fresh when you’re ready to serve.
Reheat: From the fridge, warm the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. If frozen, transfer the sauce to the fridge to defrost overnight, then warm over the stove.
😋 More Vegan Pasta Recipes!
Recipe
Vegan Bolognese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cand tomato sauce 15 ounces
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup brown lentils
- ½ cup low-fat coconut milk
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 16 oz whole wheat spaghetti
- fresh parsley for garnish
- vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Sauté the diced onions, celery, and carrots in a ¼ cup of vegetable stock or olive oil for 5 minutes or until they become tender.
- Stir in the tomato paste, tomato puree, lentils, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves from the pot. Stir in the coconut milk.
- Drain the spaghetti and incorporate it into the lentil bolognese! Serve topped with fresh parsley and vegan parmesan cheese, or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
Notes
- Incorporate the pasta into the sauce before serving by adding the drained pasta to the saucepan.
- To make this low-carb or add more veggies, serve with zucchini noodles instead of whole wheat spaghetti.
- For an authentic bolognese, add ¼ cup of red wine.
- Serve with fresh chopped parsley.
- Sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It will taste best reheated if you prepare the pasta fresh when served.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Prepare pasta fresh when you’re ready to serve.
- Reheat in a saucepan over medium. If frozen, transfer to the fridge to defrost overnight, then reheat on the stove.
Kim
This was so good. Next time I will add some red pepper flakes while cooking to give it a little kick!
Kacey Perez
Easy, healthy recipes are my favorite! Can’t wait to give this one a try!
Erika
This ragu looks so good, I love the lentils too!
Jenn
I always end up overcooking my lentils, but with your tips I bet I can nail this dish! Trying it out soon!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
Beth
Even my picky, meat eating teenager loved this recipe! I’m adding it to my regular rotation!