Bolognese is comfort food at its finest. That’s why I made this healthy Vegan Lentil Bolognese, so you can eat pasta regularly and still feel amazing. It’s filled with veggies, fiber, protein, and flavor. No need for meat! This is such an affordable dish because it uses pantry staples like noodles, tomato sauce, and lentils. If you love a cozy pasta dish, you need to make my One Pan Gnocchi, Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo, or Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese next.
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Notes on Ingredients
- Pasta: Use any kind of pasta you want–long or short noodles. Use gluten-free noodles to make this dish gluten-free.
- Lentils: If using canned lentils, be sure to drain and rinse them well. You can also use the pre-packaged, pre-cooked lentils found in the produce section from Trader Joes. Or, you can cook your own from dry.
- Zucchini: Eggplant would be a good substitution for zucchini.
- Marinara: Look for a no-sugar-added marinara made with extra virgin olive oil.
Please take note that this is important information about the ingredients used in this recipe and the FULL recipe with measurements and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
How do you make Vegan Lentil Bolognese?
- Boil the pasta and strain.
- While the pasta cooks, chop the zucchini, garlic and mushrooms. Saute the veggies in a large sauce pan until cooked and soft.
- Once the veggies are cooked, add the lentils and jar of marinara sauce into the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined.
- Cover and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.
- Top your pasta with the sauce and enjoy! Garnish with vegan parm and parsley!
- Step 1: First, boil the pasta and strain. Then, in a large pan, sauté zucchini, garlic and mushrooms until cooked. Stir in lentils and the jar of marinara.
- Step 2: Then, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Top pasta with sauce and parmesan or parsley. Enjoy!
Commonly Asked Questions
If they are gluten-free, yes I recommend rinsing them after straining. Otherwise, no.
I love to add chopped tomato, chopped onion, and eggplant into my bolognese. If you love veggie-filled pasta dishes, make my One Pan Tuscan Pasta or Classic One Pot Pasta next.
Cheese, of course!! You can make your own vegan parmesan or buy store-bought. I like the Violife brand..
Sure! Any protein you like. I love to do crumbled tofu in bolognese or plant-based ground beef by Abbots.
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Extra Helpful Tips
- Rinse and drain lentils well (if using canned).
- Store leftover pasta and sauce separate. When you’re ready to reheat, top noodles with sauce and microwave or heat in a pan on the stove.
- Use gluten-free noodles to keep this dish gluten-free.
- For more healthy recipes, shop the HealthyGirl Kitchen cookbook!
How to Store
Lentil Bolognese makes amazing leftovers or meal-prep. Keep the sauce and the noodles separate. They will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan.
If you tried this Vegan Lentil Bolognese or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Vegan Lentil Bolognese (gluten-free!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz box of pasta I used GF quinoa pasta
- 1 25 oz jar marinara
- 1 8 oz container of mushrooms I used white button
- 1 large zucchini
- 2.5 cups French lentils cooked
- 4 cloves garlic fresh
- salt + pepper to taste
- flat leaf parsley optional, for garnish
- parmesan cheese optional, vegan
Instructions
- Boil water and add the pasta in. Follow the box instructions and strain when it’s done. Rinse the pasta if you used gluten-free.
- While the pasta cooks, dice the zucchini, garlic and mushrooms really small and then add into a large non-stick pan. Sauté in a bit of olive oil until softened (about 5-10 minutes).
- Once the veggies are cooked, add the cooked lentils and entire jar of marinara into the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined.
- Add lid to the pan with sauce and simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes.
- Top your pasta with the sauce and enjoy! Sprinkle on some vegan parmesan if you want!
Erin T says
Oh my gosh!!! This is utterly delicious I LOVE bolognese sauce, but as someone very new to my plant-based journey, so I was wondering how this recipe would hold up and it did not disappoint. In particular, I was able to find the specific lentils referenced from trader Joe’s and they have great seasoning all in their own – I wanted to eat them playing right out of the package. The only adjustment I made was that I only cooked half of the pasta (and did cook it for 6 minutes longer than the package referenced because I prefer it pretty soft) but still ended up mixing almost all of the sauce on top of it because that’s how much sauce I enjoy. Otherwise, I did everything exactly as referenced and cannot wait to eat on this all week for lunch!
Jordan Stacy says
This lentil bolognese is DELISH. I am officially obsessed and will be making it for my meat-loving-fiance who I’m pretty sure is going to love it.