Serve this delicious lentil pasta sauce over pasta or with a hunk of bread for an effortless one-pot, 30-minute meal.
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Because you can never have enough recipe ideas for weeknight dinners that are delicious, nourishing and easy, here's my recipe for lentil pasta sauce.
I love using beans and lentils as a substitute for dairy products and meat in recipes like this white pasta sauce, made with white beans, and this slow cooker lentil bolognese. Brown lentils are a fantastic meat substitute in this ragu-like sauce too. They cook up earthy, smoky, with a full-bodied texture that's so satisfying.
The remaining ingredients in this lentil pasta sauce are just as good for you, and they add loads of flavor and texture - from the sofrito of carrots, celery and onions to the aromatic herbs like garlic, oregano and thyme. The mushrooms and tomato paste pitch in with umami.
The sauce is beginner-friendly and it is soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free. Make it for dinner tonight and I guarantee everyone at your table will lick their plates clean.
Recipe card
Lentil Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil *
- 8 cloves garlic (minced or put through a garlic press)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1 medium carrot (finely chopped)
- 3 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 8 oz mushrooms (finely chopped. Use wild mushrooms or cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms, or a mix)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- ¼ cup red wine
- 2 cups tomato puree (about 16 oz)
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 28 oz brown lentils (canned. If cooking lentils from scratch, drain and reserve the cooking liquid.)
- 1 cup vegetable stock (or water)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup parsley (finely chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- Place olive oil in a large pot or pan with the garlic. Turn heat to medium low and cook the garlic, a couple of minutes, until very aromatic and just beginning to turn color.
- Add the sofrito vegetables to the pot - onions, carrots and celery. Add salt and ground black pepper to season and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
- Stir in the mushrooms, oregano and thyme into the vegetables in the pot. Turn heat up to medium. The mushrooms will immediately express their juices. Continue to cook until the moisture in the pot has evaporated.
- Add the wine to the pot and mix. Cook for a couple of minutes until most of the moisture in the pot has gone.
- Add tomato puree and tomato paste to the pot and mix.
- Pour the cooked lentils into the pot along with vegetable stock or water or a cup of the reserved cooking liquid (if you cooked lentils from scratch). Add paprika.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook the pasta sauce 10 minutes until it is a bright red. Season with more salt and pepper if needed and stir in parsley.
Notes
- For less fat, cut down olive oil to 1 tbsp. Or sauté the vegetables in ¼ cup vegetable stock instead of oil.
- If cooking lentils from scratch, place the lentils to cook on the stovetop when you start prepping the veggies. They will be ready when it's time to add them to the pot.
Nutrition Information
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Recipe FAQs
Either is fine. Use two 15 oz cans of brown lentils or cook 1 cup dried lentils from scratch.
Green lentils and French beluga lentils will both work nicely in this recipe.
Very, with 12 grams of protein and 11 grams of dietary fiber in each 233 calorie serving. You will also get other valuable nutrients like vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.
Ladle the sauce over any pasta shape of your choice. I like long pastas like spaghetti, capellini and fettuccine for this sauce.
Absolutely. Use gluten-free pasta or use a lentil pasta or chickpea pasta to give your meal an even bigger protein boost.
Store the sauce for up to five days in the fridge, and freeze for up to four months. Thaw and reheat the sauce on the stove or in the microwave before eating.
Emma says
Wasn’t sure how this meal would go! But YUM. Thank you
Vaishali says
So happy you loved the pasta sauce, Emma!
PamelaB says
As I was scrolling down to check out the recipe I had a sudden visual of this over sautéed hearty greens. And I am definitely going to try that. I’ll also do the pasta, but like to change things up, plus a big eater of all kinds of greens.
While I do enjoy pasta I’m not as inclined to eat it as much as I used to. 🙂
Thank you for this, I’m looking forward to trying it!
Vaishali says
I think this would be lovely over sauteed greens. Great thought!
PamelaB says
I was just reviewing the recipe to be sure of ingredients & stopped to look, again, at picture…& the idea of using it to fill the cavity of a roasted acorn squash half presented itself.
Another way I’m going to try this.
One recipe served 3 different ways.
Now that’s how I like to cook.
Double the recipe & freeze extra in appropriate sizes for a later meal served somewhat differently.
My kids called it “shopping the freezer”.
Vaishali says
Haha, love that term! This lentil sauce would be awesome with acorn squash, and it'll look so pretty. ❤️