Vegan Red Lentil Bolognese Recipe

This simple vegan lentil ragu recipe is a hearty, big bolognese-style sauce for the pasta of your choice, and I promise, you won't miss the meat!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Modern European

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword lentil bolognese, lentil ragu, red lentil bolognese, red lentil pasta

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings Servings

Calories 831kcal

150 g Dried Red Lentils ¾ Cup
1 Small Onion 100g
1 Small Carrot 50g
1 Small Celery Stick 35g
2 tablespoon Olive Oil (Use the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for a huge flavour upgrade!)
4 Garlic Cloves
50 g Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Oil ¼ Cup
½ teaspoon Chilli Flakes Optional
375 ml Red Wine ½ Bottle
200 g Tomato Passata ¾ Cup
250 ml Vegetable Stock 1 Cup
½ teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Marmite
175 g Dried Pasta 6oz
Salt to taste

Cut the onion in half, peel it and then dice it as finely as you can.
Cut the celery into a dice roughly the same size as the onion.
Chop the carrot into a dice roughly the same size as the celery and onion.
Heat the oil over a medium-low heat in a 30cm or 12" frying pan or skillet. Add the onion, carrot and celery and soften without colouring for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Dice the garlic cloves as finely as you can.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes into a 5-6mm (¼") dice.
Add the garlic and dried chilli flakes to the vegetables and cook for 60 seconds.
Turn the heat up as high as it will go and add the lentils and red wine, then cook for 5-6 minutes, or until most of the wine has been soaked up or evaporated.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the tomato passata and vegetable stock, and add the sun-dried tomatoes, sugar and marmite.
Stir well, add a lid and simmer for 25 minutes.
Just before the ragu is ready, cook the pasta to your liking in salted boiling water. (I use a 20cm or 8" saucepan with 1½ teaspoons of water). Then drain, reserving a little cooking water.
Stir the pasta through the lentil ragu, adding as much pasta water as necessary and serve with fresh basil.

Not all wine is vegan, and the same goes for pasta so read your labels!