Lentil Bolognese

Over the last month or so I have been making a conscious effort to try and work more vegetarian and vegan meals into my life. One of the meals that’s made its way into my repertoire, and has quickly become a favourite, is this Lentil Bolognese.

Bolognese in general is such a versatile recipe and one everyone should know how to make. Once you know how to make it too, it opens you up to other meals or recipes like lasagnes or stuffed eggplants or even stuffed capsicums.

Bolognese in general is also quite cheap to make. If you swap out themince for lentils, it is even more so. In this recipe, the dearest ingredient is probably the wine but even then you can pick up a decent bottle for $9.99 or just use the remainder of a bottle you’ve had open for a few days.

If you’re a bit nervous, too, about trialing a vegan recipe for your meat loving friends or family, this recipe is the perfect entry meal. Even my meat-loving Hungarian father approves and has requested it.

Lentil Bolognese
Serves 4
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 Minutes (minimum)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
2 large carrot
2 celery sticks
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tin lentils
1 cup red wine
1 400mls tin crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
400mls vegetable stock

Place a large pan on the stove, over a low heat. While the pan is heating up, finely dice the onion, carrots and celery. Drizzle the olive oil over the pan and add the dice vegetables.

Stir the vegetables, being careful not to let them burn. Once the onions have become translucent and the celery and carrots glossy, finely dice the garlic and add to the pan.

Next, drain the lentils. Turn the heat up to medium and stir the lentils through the vegetables. After 30 or so seconds, add the wine, stirring. Use the wine to deglaze the pan, making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom.

Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves and vegetable stock. Stir until everything is combined. Place a lid on top of the pan and turn the heat down to low. Leave the sauce to simmer gently for a minimum of 30 minutes – if I can, I simmer for an hour.

Once the sauce is finished, it’s time to serve.

While I love to serve this with pasta, I have included a few other ideas below. The Lentil Bolognese sauce can also be used in my eggplant lasagne, replacing the meat sauce.

Ideas to serve (serves 1 - 2)

Stuffed Eggplant – turn the oven onto 180°c bake. Slice an eggplant in half, length ways, and place on a baking tray, lined with baking paper. It doesn’t matter which side is facing up, as you will be will turn in between. Drizzle the eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip, cooking for a further 15 minutes. With a fork, scrape the inside of the eggplant out. Mix the inside of the eggplant with a ladle or two of the Lentil Bolognese and place back inside the eggplant. Roast for a further 5 minutes before serving.

Sautéed Cabbage and Brown Rice – I always have cooked brown rice in the fridge, ready to go. If cooking from scratch, start the rice first and cook to packet instructions.
Place a pan on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Finely slice approx. 180gms of cabbage and add to the pan. Cook until the cabbage has gone glossy and shrunk in size. Add half a cup of cooked brown rice and a ladle of the lentil Bolognese. Cook for a further minute before removing from the heat and serving. Sometimes I add half an avocado when serving as a fat to replace cheese.