Vegan Black Beluga Lentil Bolognese is a hearty and flavorful dinner. With just a few ingredients, this bolognese comes together easily, with minimal hands-on time!
When you want a warm, hearty, dish to serve for dinner, a bolognese is a great option.
This vegan bolognese uses black lentils, which make a fabulous substitute for the texture of ground beef.
This dish is super pantry friendly. The sauce starts with a few fresh veggies but primarily leverages dry spices and canned tomatoes. You don't need tons of fresh produce to make a flavorful meal.
Serve this tasty bolognese over pasta for a complete meal, with protein, healthy carbohydrates, veggies, and fiber!
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What is a bolognese?
Bolognese is an Italian dish. It's a beef sauce that starts with veggies like onion, celery, and carrot, and finishes with tomatoes. The mixture is simmered and reduced to create a thick sauce.
This vegan version of bolognese keeps all the same flavors of a traditional bolognese, and replaces the meat with lentils!
Why I love this Vegan Black Beluga Lentil Bolognese
- Dietary needs - this bolognese is vegan, whole food plant-based, dairy-free, oil-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free
- Nutrient dense - with protein from lentils (and chickpea pasta if you use it!) and nutrients in the tomatoes and veggies, this bolognese is super healthy
- Real bolognese texture - lentils are a great meat substitute for beef in a vegan bolognese because they absorb a lot of liquid and create a meat sauce texture
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Yellow Onion: a white onion would also work here
- Celery
- Garlic
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes: crushed tomatoes are ideal for this recipe because they are more smooth than diced. I don't recommend subbing any other texture of tomato
- Water
- Black Beluga Lentils: many health food stores will carry black lentils or, just order black lentils online. If you can't find black lentils, you can sub brown or green lentils. Do not sub yellow or red lentils.
- Tomato Paste
- Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Linguine Pasta: traditionally bolognese is served with a long flat pasta like pappardelle, but pappardelle is made with egg so it is not vegan. I recommend using linguine instead - I used a chickpea linguine for extra protein!
- Fresh Basil
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes, until fragrant.
Step 2. Add the crushed tomatoes, water, lentils, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer, cover partially, and cook for 35-40 minutes until the lentils are tender.
Step 3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Step 4. When the bolognese has reduced and the lentils are tender, serve on top of the pasta with a garnish of fresh basil. Enjoy!
FAQ & Expert Tips
Yes! Feel free to use brown or green lentils in place of the black lentils. Do not sub red or yellow lentils - they are much softer and will result in a very mushy sauce.
Store any leftovers in the fridge. They will last for up to a week.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for this bolognese pasta. Thank you for this hearty, healthy dinner to enjoy. Amen.
More vegan pasta sauces
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Black Beluga Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 Large Yellow Onion minced
- 3 Stalks Celery minced
- 1 Head Garlic (about 12 cloves) minced
- 1 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
- 2 Cups Water
- ⅔ Cup Black Beluga Lentils
- 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Basil
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 12 Ounces Linguine Pasta I used chickpea linguine
- Fresh Basil
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, water, lentils, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer, cover partially, and cook for 35-40 minutes until the lentils are tender.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- When the bolognese has reduced and the lentils are tender, serve on top of the pasta with a garnish of fresh basil. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Addison
This is one of my favorite dishes I have made by Elizabeth! It's so good and I had so much leftovers!(didn't last long lol) I wish you would make a good garlic bread recipe to go along with! Love this recipe, thank you Elizabeth, God bless you!
Elizabeth
Thank you so much Addison! I'm so glad you love this recipe. I made a note to work on a garlic bread recipe 🙂