Lentil Bolognese Sauce

Using canned lentils in this easy to make lentil Bolognese saves time but you can easily cook brown lentils from scratch as well for a cheaper and healthier option.

This easy lentil Bolognese sauce comes together in no time and is bound to be a family favorite.

The lentil Bolognese is spiced with the classic Italian flavors (basil, oregano, and bay leaves) and a touch of coconut sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

A little trick I learned from a chef is to add sugar to tomato sauce or pasta sauce to neutralize the acid found in tomato sauce. If you ever notice that your pasta sauce tastes a little to acidic sugar will help to soften the acidic flavors and meld the flavors of the pasta sauce together.

A classic pasta sauce is often lacking the liver cleansing vegetables, but this vegetarian lentil Bolognese is filled with health-promoting vegetables to make sure you are getting enough veggies in your diet (which many of us are lacking)

The caramelized vegetables simmered in the Italian spices and tomato sauce bring depth and flavor to this delicious vegan lentil Bolognese. It is so good and a healthy way to enjoy the classic comfort food pasta dish.

I served this lentil Bolognese sauce with red lentil pasta spirals … just to keep with the theme. But seriously it was so yummy and a healthier option in comparison to regular white pasta.

These days there are so many options and kinds of pasta from gluten-free brown rice noodles, buckwheat pasta, chickpea pasta, and lentil pasta which all taste amazing! 

Lentil Bolognese Sauce Recipe

1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 carrot
1 cup mushrooms
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 400 gram can lentils
1 400 gram can crushed tomatoes
1 500 g jar store-bought pasta sauce
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
½ tsp chili flakes
3 bay leaves
1 tsp coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make lentil bolognese

To make this lentil Bolognese sauce start by finely dicing the garlic and onion then place in the frying pan with the bay leaves, coconut oil, salt, and pepper.
Let the onion and garlic saute for 1-2 minutes before adding in the remainder of the chopped vegetables (zucchini, red pepper, mushrooms) and grated carrot.

Continue to let the vegetables sautee until nicely browned (approx. 5-10 minutes) before adding in the remainder of the spices, coconut sugar, crushed canned tomatoes, pasta sauce, and canned lentils.

Let all the ingredients in the lentil Bolognese sauce simmer for another 10 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld together.

Serve this vegetarian lentil Bolognese over your favorite gluten-free pasta, buckwheat pasta, red lentil pasta or zucchini noodles with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese! So yummy!

If there are any leftovers of this lentil Bolognese sauce you can freeze any extras for a later date.

If you like to batch cook simply double the recipe for lentil Bolognese and freeze into individual portions either in a freezer bag or BPA free plastic containers.

When you want to make a lentil Bolognese pasta simply let the lentil Bolognese defrost then heat up in a frying pan and serve with freshly make zucchini noodles or gluten-free pasta.