I am a big fan of lentil bolognese. It is easy to make, comforting and full of incredible nutrients. Lentils are a powerhouse and if you don’t like them you should learn to like them. They are full of fibers, plant based protein and tons of incredible vitamins. There are a few variety of lentils but for this recipe it is best to go with green lentils. This lentil bolognese is made in your slow cooker so you can let dinner cook itself.
RECIPE VIDEO
What I love about this recipe the most is that it is so allergy friendly. No soy, no gluten, no nuts and it is also oil-free. It is perfect for families or meal prep. I paired this with chickpea pasta but you can use zoodles, brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta or of course regular pasta. Whatever you choose this will be delicious.
Green lentils are best for this dish because you will be cooking this in a slow cooker. Green lentils are a bit studier and hold their shape better. I also feel like they are meatier in a way. If you want to use red lentils you can but I just find I like the green lentils better as a beef replacement.
I cooked this on high for 4 and a half hours. If you would prefer to cook this on low you could cook it for 7-8 hours. I also like to give the sauce a stir once in a while, while it cooks. I decided to cook the pasta separately from the sauce because chickpea pasta can be fragile and it only takes a several minutes to cook pasta anyway.
INGREDIENTS
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ small vidalia onion, chopped [65g]
1 carrot, peeled and chopped [45g]
1 ¼ cups green lentils [250g]
2 ¼ cups water [560ml]
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce [810g]
½ tsp salt or to taste
¼ tsp black pepper or to taste
¼ tsp red chili flakes or to taste
1 tsp organic sugar
350g pasta of choice (I used chickpea pasta)
METHOD
- Sauté the onion, carrot, garlic in water in a pan for 10 minutes with ¼ cup of water. You can also add them directly to the crockpot but I like to develop the flavors first ahead of time.
- In your slow cooker add the cooked onions, carrots, garlic, lentils, water, lentils, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, chili flakes and sugar.
- Mix them together and cook on high for 4 hours and 30 minutes or cook on low for 7 hours, stirring occasionally.
- 20 minutes before you are ready to eat prepare your pasta of choice.
- Drain it and add it to the crockpot with the prepared lentils bolognese. Mix together.
- Serve with warm and sprinkle with extra red pepper flakes or vegan parmesan if you like (will make this no longer oil free depending on brand).
Makes 4 servings
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This was delicious and my husband enjoyed it too! Perfect amount of spice and plenty of leftovers. The cost of vegan “meat” is getting pricey in my area, so was looking for a recipe that was more budget friendly. Will definitely be making again. Thank you! (:
Hi Tamara aw yay I am so so happy you enjoyed it! thank you so much for trying it and I am glad it was enjoyed, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Just found your recipes and can’t wait to try many of them they all look delicious. Also checking out your cookbook.
hi Diane! I am so happy you found me and glad to have you here! please let me know how it goes when you try recipes I love to hear back!
Wtfffff soooo goooodddd!!!! My new staple. Thank you!!!
Making this weekly now. So much protein and so easy. Awesome!
wooo yay I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it Kyle! thanks so much for making it and taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Hi was thinking of making it and freezing. Have you done that? If so, how was it after defrosting? Thanks Cindy
Hi Cindy. I haven’t but it should be okay. May need to add a bit of water to it when you reheat! Do it in a pan on the stove and I would also let it thaw out in the fridge
Did you use dry lentils or canned?
i used dry! but you can use canned too if you like
Can I use brown or red lentil? I’m wondering if it will change flavour
Hi Viktoria that would be fine. Red lentils cook quicker so you would need to adjust the cooking time.
What size crockpot do you make this in? Trying to decide between 5 and 7 quart and to decide if I should double it.
hi I am using a 6 quart!
Hi! I grabbed pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s…I probably just need to add them to the crockpot vs warm, yes?! So maybe for a couple hours on low?
Thoughts? (Definitely not a cook over here! 🤣
Hey Jami yes since those are already precooked you can probably just cook them either on high for 1 hour or low for 2 hours. Of course make adjustments on timing as needed and based on your crockpot but just to get everything warm and the sauce developed! I love those lentils they are so great!
Hi! I purchased pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s… Thinking I just need to keep them in the crockpot long enough to get them all warmed up. Yes? Definitely not a cook over here and welcome any tips.
I loved this sauce! So much, that I have been eating leftovers for breakfast the last couple of days. I doubled this recipe and instead of double lentils, I added 1.5 cups of TVP. I also added a bunch of spices. I will be making this again!
Hi Nina! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Awesome idea with the TVP addition yay!