Name: Lentil Bolognese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 Servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 0.25 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 onion; 4 cloves garlic; 1 stalk celery; 1 carrot; 1 tsp salt; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; black pepper; 5.5 ounces tomato paste; 0.5 cup red wine; 2 cups vegetable broth; 1.25 cups brown or green lentils*; 0.5 cup walnuts*; 28 ounces crushed tomatoes; 0.25 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley; 0.25 cup Parmesan*

From the Cook

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Lentil Bolognese

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Ingredients

Warning0 allergens identified

Lentil Bolognese

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 onionchopped

4 cloves garlicminced

1 stalk celeryfinely chopped

1 carrotfinely chopped

1 tsp salt

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

black pepperto taste

5 ½ ounces tomato paste

½ cup red wineoptional or use more broth

2 cups vegetable broth

1 ¼ cups brown or green lentils*

½ cup walnuts*finely chopped

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

¼ cup flat-leaf Italian parsleychopped

¼ cup Parmesan*freshly grated

Instructions

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Instructions

In a large deep skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the onion and garlic and 15 for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add in the celery, carrot, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Mix and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste and continue to cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly.

Add in the wine (or ½ cup of additional broth if not using wine) and scrape the bottom of the skillet to deglaze. Add in the broth, lentils, walnuts, and crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 40-45 minutes, stirring every few minutes, or until the lentils are tender and cooked.

Stir in the parsley and cheese and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove from the heat and enjoy over your favorite pasta!

Notes

Lentils – If you want to use red lentils for this recipe, just know that they’ll need less cook time and will end up quite a bit softer than the brown or green lentils.

Walnuts – I tested the recipe with and without the walnuts. You can leave them out as desired. They add a nice little bit of crunch to the recipe that I find really nice.

Parmesan- This can either be left out completely or replaced with a vegan parmesan.

Nutrition

My Calorie Intake

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Tips & Tricks (5)

Toast Your Walnuts First 🥜
Lightly toast walnuts in a dry pan for 3-4 minutes before chopping and adding to the sauce to intensify their nutty flavor and create better texture depth.
Bloom Your Tomato Paste 🍅
Cook tomato paste in olive oil for 1-2 minutes before adding other ingredients to caramelize it slightly and develop richer, more complex tomato flavors.
Cook Lentils Separately First 🫘
Pre-cook lentils until just tender (not mushy) in vegetable broth before adding to the sauce, giving you better texture control and preventing them from turning to mush during long simmering.
Let it Simmer Long and Low ⏱️
Simmer the bolognese for at least 45 minutes on low heat to allow flavors to meld and deepen—longer cooking transforms the sauce from good to exceptional.
Add Fresh Parsley Last 🌿
Reserve half your fresh parsley and stir it in just before serving to maintain its bright, herbaceous notes that get lost in prolonged cooking.