An easy but utterly flavorful recipe for slow-cooked Lentil Bolognese sauce. French puy lentils add peppery deliciousness to this healthy and clean recipe. Vegan, nut-free, soy-free.
Desi often teases me (not seriously, he gets the vegan thing) about how, when we travel, I miss out on the best food.
In New Orleans, while he was enjoying the seafood this city is so famous for, I was scouring menu cards– often fruitlessly– for beans and rice made without meat stock. He won’t let me forget the day we traipsed a mile or more to get to a Greek restaurant where I could finally order some hummus and felafel and the usual vegan suspects. As I devoured the tasty (albeit not adventurous) food, I felt like I hadn’t eaten in days.
When we go to India, it is he that my parents love to feed more because he will eat all that fresh fish they tend to gorge on in coastal Goa. When we traveled through Mexico, a food-lover’s paradise, I often had to make do with sides (delicious ones) or scour my Happy Cow list for veg-friendly restaurants and then get a bus or a train to get there.
Eating vegan when you travel is not always difficult, as my prelude might have made it seem, because more restaurants are vegan-friendly these days. But truth is, it’s not always easy either, especially for someone who loves delicious food as much as I do and hates the idea of salads for most meals. I do remember a time I did do that — it was when we took a road trip through the south a few years back. The trip was wonderful but while Desi was out sampling all kinds of dishes that the south is famous for, I was picking at raw leafies and wondering if I’d ever see a decent meal again.
Of course, being vegan and eating out also makes for some great memories. Like the time we were in Lisbon, exploring the port neighborhood of Alfama. The winding, narrow streets are dotted with taverns where you can listen to Fado, the melancholic but sweet music that springs from Lisbon’s belly, and we came across a particularly beautiful one outfitted with what looked like wood parts of a massive, ancient ship. As we stood outside, scouring their menu to see if I could find a vegan-friendly option, the cook — who happened to be passing by– offered to make one for me.
Happy as can be, we went in, listened to some beautiful music, and I ate a meal I will never forget– a delicious pasta with beans and herbs– made specially for me.
***
Pasta and legumes are made for each other. Together they are perfectly nutritious and delicious vegan eats because they pack a huge protein and fiber wallop. And although you’d think — with all that olive oil floating around every pasta recipe you see– that you’d never be able to make one that was tasty and low-fat, truth is that legumes offer a perfect opportunity to create pasta dishes that are low-fat or even fat-free and utterly flavorful.
My Slow Cooker Lentil Bolognese recipe today is a perfect example of a pasta sauce that’s meaty, delicious, healthy and — best of all– easy. This is also a versatile dish that would go great with not just pasta but also with quinoa or brown rice. I have a fat-free option for you in the recipe, but keep in mind that you are using just one teaspoon of oil for a recipe that makes eight servings, which means you get no more than 5 calories per serving from the fat.
To serve the bolognese, use a pasta that’s either broad– like pappardelle– or a shaped pasta like penne rigate, elbows, or shell pasta. You want something that’s wide enough to serve as a vehicle for the bolognese, or shaped so it will suck in and hold the sauce. The bolognese is gluten-free, so if you are a gf’er you can make it with gluten-free pasta. You might want to first read my helpful hints on cooking gluten-free pasta.
Now for the Lentil Bolognese recipe. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 cup French puy lentils. Brown lentils or masoor dal are a perfectly delicious substitute
- 2 carrots, chopped into 1-cm pieces
- 3 sticks of celery, chopped into 1-cm pieces
- 1 1/2 cups tomato puree,
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable stock (use water if you don't have this)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 1 tsp dry rosemary
- 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
- Salt to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the lentils in enough water to cover and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a crockpot turned to the high setting, combine the oil, onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Add 1/2 tsp salt and half of the ground black pepper. Give it all a good stir, cover with the lid, and walk away from it for 30 minutes. (You can make this dish fat-free by adding a couple of tablespoons of stock instead of the oil). I find this first extra step of "sweating" the mirepoix of onions, carrots and celery really helps build the flavor.
- After 30 minutes, take off the lid, give everything a good stir, and add the lentils, tomatoes, vegetable stock, dry herbs, chipotle chili, remaining black pepper and salt to taste.
- Mix well and cover the crockpot again. Let the bolognese sauce cook for two hours on the high setting or until the lentils are tender. The carrots will still have some bite, which is wonderful. Check salt and add more if needed.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Add to the crockpot and give everything a good stir. Add some of the pasta cooking liquid if the pasta is too dry.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.
Nutrition
**
Delicious pasta recipes from the archives:
Butternut Squash Pasta Bake for Two
Vegan Slut’s Spaghetti (Pasta Puttanesca)
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
divya says
February 19, 2014 atbeautifully made.looks amazing.
Vaishali says
February 19, 2014 atThanks, Divya. 🙂
Gita Jaishankar says
February 19, 2014 atThis one is a keeper for me Vaishali, I have been looking for pasta recipes with lentils (trying to make balanced dishes for the kiddos). Love this healthy pasta with all the vegetables and lentils. I am planning to make this for dinner tomorrow, thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe 🙂
Vaishali says
February 19, 2014 atHi Gita, I hope you will try it. I think kids would love all those nice flavors in there. 🙂
kum says
February 19, 2014 atAll these days I assumed Desi was a vegetarian…
Lentil Bolognese looks so Yum! Thank you so much for posting so many plant-based recipes…
Global vegan fare
Vaishali says
February 19, 2014 atHi Kum, he is vegetarian most of the time and loves vegan food, but he also isn’t a strict vegan like I am. When we travel, he likes to try different things.
Mary @ Mary's Test Kitchen says
February 19, 2014 atI am going to try this recipe! I am not a big fan of lentils but maybe I’m just using them wrong. They are so healthy for us I need to get them in somehow! 🙂
Vaishali says
February 21, 2014 atHi Mary, lentils are amazing and they are each so different from the other with different textures and flavors. I hope you will try this!
Annapurna says
February 21, 2014 atIt takes a lot of determination and mental strength to be a vegetarian especially a vegan in this day and age. Kudos Vaishali for sticking to your guns even in hard situations. BTW, the sourdough bread turned out great. It deflated a bit, since I touched it, but next time I know better. Black bean bolognese for dinner, since that is what I have soaked 🙂
smallftprints says
February 26, 2014 atOh my … you’ve put together two of my favorite foods … lentils and pasta! This looks so yummy … I can’t wait to try it. And, using the crockpot makes this dish very efficient as well.
Well, I have to say … I am totally impressed with your dedication, especially that we now know your husband isn’t vegan. It is HARD to maintain an eating plan when others aren’t on board. It’s great that he loves your vegan food but I can see how it would be difficult to go out when there isn’t always a veg option. You’ve touched on something I’ve learned, though … most chefs are happy to whip up something for a vegan … we just have to ask. I will say that this does not work at chain restaurants. But at the independent places, the staff typically is more than happy to accommodate us.
jacey says
March 1, 2014 atdid I miss the bit about how much pasta to cook?!
Cathy says
March 9, 2014 atWow! I love lentils, and use them often, but never even thought about using them in a Bolognese sauce! I work in a residence with clients who have limited insight about healthy foods. I am always on the lookout for healthy dishes for our weekend “House Lunch”, and you have just inspired my next menu!
Vaishali says
March 10, 2014 atCathy, hope you try it! 🙂
peggella says
May 3, 2014 atI’m going to make this right away. Looks great!
N says
June 12, 2014 atHow much pasta? Thx
Vaishali says
June 12, 2014 atN, About 16 ounces or 1 pound should be perfect for this.
Donna says
June 26, 2014 atGoing to try try this recipe,but have one question. Do you drain the lentils before adding to onion mixture?
Vaishali says
June 26, 2014 atDonna, yes, drain and then add fresh water.
Lauren says
July 9, 2014 atSo pleased I found this recipe! Its been simmering away today here in Kaukapakapa, New Zealand where we’ve been battling a storm and colds for a few days. Kids (17 months & 3.5 years) just devoured their dinner with brown rice and I’m looking forward to mine a bit later. We’re all vegetarian and additionally our youngest is dairy intolerant so we rarely have dairy these days. It’s so nice to find recipes that work for the whole family. FYI – I doubled the recipe to share with our neighbours as well and we still have plenty for the freezer for another cold night. Thank you!!!
Anonymous says
January 4, 2016 atI just stumbled across this recipe and curious on how you get 8 servings out of this recipe?
Anonymous says
August 24, 2016 atThis recipe is amazing! This sauce actually tastes like an authentic beef bolognese! I had to make a couple of tweaks to the recipe as I didn’t have any tomato puree, so instead I added a can of diced tomatoes and two tablespoons of tomato paste. I also added mushrooms to give the sauce a bit of a meatier texture. I actually ended up cooking this for closer to five hours on high, rather than two and a half, as the sauce was very watery, but I don’t think my slow cooker is very powerful so that’s probably the reason why I had to cook the recipe a bit longer. Can’t wait to eat this for dinner tonight!