This no-fail lentil spaghetti bolognese is quick to prepare and cooks in just 15 minutes. The lentils give the sauce a meaty, hearty texture and it tastes delicious.
This is a recipe that I make time and time again because it’s so good. It is always a winner in my house.
Most of the ingredients are store cupboard ingredients. You just need to get some onions and mushrooms, and everything is probably already in your food cupboard.
Video Demonstration
If you’d like to see how easy it is to throw all this together, check out my video where I walk you through the recipe step by step.
Click here to subscribe to my Youtube channel.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe, and all of the recipes on my website are vegan and plant-based.
- This recipe and all of the recipes on my website are gluten-free.
- This recipe contains 422 kcal per serving.
- This recipe contains 22g protein per serving.
- This recipe contains 39 mg of calcium per serving.
- This recipe contains 10g of fiber per serving.
- This recipe is made up from a combination of vegan protein, whole food sources of carbohydrates, vegetables, essential fats, and ingredients that make the dish extremely tasty.
- This recipe takes 5 minutes of active preparation time and 15 minutes of cooking time. You can use the cooking time to get on with other things.
- This recipe is made extra tasty by the addition of my homemade vegetable stock powder and Italian seasoning.
- I have simplified this recipe by limiting the number of ingredients and using everyday ingredients such as onions, garlic, mushroom and tomatoes.
The Structure Of A Plant Based Plate
Each of the recipes I create fits into my Plant Plate System. This system incorporates 5 food groups into every meal.
The 5 food groups are 1) Plant Protein, 2), Leaves, Fruit, And Veg, 3) Aesthetic Additions, 4) Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates, and 5) Taste
This recipe is a complete meal because it contains all 5 components of my Plant Plate and contains around 400 calories per meal.
The diagram below helps you see the 5 different components of a Plant-Based Plate.
Click here to discover more about my Plant Plate System and some of the benefits of eating this way.
Plant Protein
- Red lentils
Leaves, Fruit & Veg
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Chopped tomatoes
Aesthetic Additions
- Nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan cheese
- Basil leaves
- Cherry/grape tomatoes
Nutritious Carbs
- Gluten-free spaghetti or pasta
Taste
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Vegetable stock powder
- Italian seasoning
- Sea salt
- Red wine vinegar
- Maple syrup
- Tomato paste/ puree
- Basil leaves
Recommended Equipment
Here is the main kitchen equipment I have used to create this recipe.
Non-Stick Pan
I highly suggest you use a non-stick pan for the vegetable and sauce part of this recipe. In a non-stick pan, this recipe cooks like a dream, with minimal stirring needed.
You can get the large pan that I use by clicking here. Please note, I bought the largest size.
You can get the 10-piece cookware set that I have by clicking here. Please note, this set contains a smaller version of the large deep pan that I bought separately.
How To Make This Recipe
- Cook the onions, garlic and mushroom.
- Add the seasonings for flavor.
- Then add water, and the rest of the bolognese ingredients.
- Once the lentils are cooked serve with the pasta.
- Garnish with nutritional yeast, basil, and tomatoes.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Olive oil: Use any oil you choose. Or omit the oil completely and just saute the vegetables in a little water.
- Onions: You can omit the onions or replace them with a vegetable of your choice.
- Mushrooms: You can omit the mushrooms or replace them with a vegetable of your choice.
- Garlic: You can omit the garlic or replace it with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Vegetable stock powder: You can replace it with a different stock powder or stock cube of your choice.
- Italian seasoning: You can replace it with any dried herbs of your choice.
- Sea salt: You can replace it with any salt of your choice or 1 tablespoon of tamari.
- Dry red lentils: You can replace them with any lentils of your choice. You can use 500g of cooked lentils, but omit the water from the recipe.
- Red wine vinegar: You can replace it with any vinegar of your choice.
- Maple syrup: You can omit the syrup or replace it with any sweetener of your choice.
- Basil leaves: You can omit the basil or replace it with any fresh or dried herbs of your choice.
- Chopped tomatoes: You can substitute chopped tomatoes with fresh tomatoes that you have blended, or passata.
Side Dishes
If you don’t want to use pasta, you could also use one serving of any of the following side dishes per person:
- Mashed potatoes
- Cornbread
- Boiled baby potatoes in skins
- Boiled large white potatoes without skins
- White potato fries
- Sweet potato fries
- Baked white potato
- Baked sweet potato
- White rice
For more options, see all of my best vegan, gluten-free carbs side dishes.
How To Reduce The Calories
If you’d like to reduce the calories of this recipe even further, I suggest replacing the spaghetti pasta with zucchini/courgette spirals.
How To Increase The Calories
If you would like to increase the calories for anybody who is going to be eating a serving of this recipe, I suggest you serve them a bigger portion of spaghetti pasta, and add some grated vegan cheese to the top.
How To Store Leftovers
Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge in an air-tight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up gently in a pan.
Pasta can be stored for up to 4 days in the fridge in an air-tight container. Pasta can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. However, it tends to stick together in the fridge or freezer. To avoid clumping, mix it with some sauce before storing it. Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up gently in a pan.
More Easy Vegan Dinner Recipes
If you’re looking for easy, no-fail vegan dinners, check out some of my other recipes:
- One Pot Smoky Vegan Sausage Casserole
- Creamy Vegan Red Lentil Dahl Recipe
- Easy No Cook Marinara Sauce For Pizza And Pasta
🥬️🥭️ 7 Day Meal Plan
If you want to discover all of the benefits of eating a plant-based, gluten-free diet, grab a copy of my 7-day meal plan by Green Thickies.
My 7-day detox has been doctor and nutritionist approved and featured on a major national TV channel.
Thousands of people have had incredible results with this meal plan.
Click here to read more about it.
FREE Gifts
🥗 Free Smoothies (Drink And Shrink) Bundle
For A Limited Time, Grab Your FREE 260+ Page Smoothies (Drink And Shrink) Bundle From Green Thickies.
Click here to grab your copy FREE.
🎩 5 Magical Fruit Recipes Book
If you’re looking for some easy, raw, fruit-based, complete meal recipes, grab my free recipe book now.
Recipe
Quick Red Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese (Vegan)
Equipment
- Large Non-Stick Deep Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Onions
- 2 Cups (200g) Mushrooms
- 4 Cloves (4 Teaspoons) Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Stock Powder OR 1 tablespoon of bouillon powder or 1 stock cube
- 2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning OR 1 teaspoon oregano and 1 teaspoon basil
- 2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
- 2 Cups (500ml) Of Water
- 2 400g (15oz) Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 Cup (170g) Of Dry Red Lentils
- 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (Tomato Puree)
- 30 g Fresh Basil Leaves (Reserving Some For Garnish)
To Serve
- 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Or Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- 5 Basil Leaves
- 5 Cherry Tomatoes (Grape Tomatoes)
- 300 g Spaghetti Or Pasta (To Make This Gluten-Free, Use Gluten-Free Pasta)
Instructions
- Add the oil to a non-stick pan and turn the heat to medium.
- Chop the onion and add that to the pan.
- Chop the mushrooms. Add them to the pan along with the garlic.
- Add the vegetable stock powder, Italian seasoning, and salt to the pan. Stir.
- Add the water, chopped tomatoes, lentils, vinegar, maple syrup, tomato paste, and basil leaves to the pan. Reserve a few basil leaves for a garnish. Stir. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the lentils are soft. You can leave this to simmer for up to 30 minutes if you prefer softer lentils and a thicker sauce.
- While the lentils are cooking, make your spaghetti pasta by following the packet instructions.
- Serve the pasta in bowls. Add the lentil mixture to the middle of the bowl. Garnish with nutritional yeast, basil, and tomatoes.
Notes
Now it’s your turn to make magic with food.
Leave a Reply