There’s (almost) nothing better than a big pot of pasta with a delicious sauce for dinner (or lunch… I could eat it even for breakfast). I looove me some pasta since I was a little kid. I was always a big fan of spaghetti bolognese and this will probably never change ;) A large bowl of noodles with sauce and loads of grated cheese on top still makes me happy every time. In recent years, though, we more often switch from meat-based sauces to vegan alternatives like this version here with mushrooms and lentils. It’s equally delicious… if not even slightly better ;P
Seriously, this vegan bolognese with mushrooms and lentils is so good! It’s different from a classic bolognese sauce, of course, but as I said… the sauce is at least as delicious as a meaty sauce and turns your pot of pasta an absolute feast!
Andrea from Zimtkeks & Apfeltarte and I are currently in the middle of our “Vegan Bake Together” week and this dish fits wonderfully in our little recipe collection. Since the beginning of the week, we both published a new vegan recipe each day – starting with some delicious vegan breakfast, a vegan snack and yesterday a recipe for vegan soup/stew. Today is all about lunch/dinner. At the end of the week, you will have a mix of delicious vegan recipes you can incorporate into your everyday life in case you want to cook and bake without dairy products or ingredients coming from animals.
Vegan Bolognese can be prepared in many ways – we normally cook a version that is pretty similar to a regular bolognese sauce with meat… just without the meat ;) Instead of ground beef we use mushrooms and lentils – the other ingredients are basically the same you would use in a classic bolognese sauce… carrots, celery, tomatoes, etc. The big difference is the cooking time – the original version needs 3 hours of cooking, the vegan version is done in more or less 1 hour ;)
To bring the flavor of the bolognese sauce a little closer to the original, you can use Liquid Smoke* like I did. This liquid is made from condensed smoke and often used to get roasting flavors in a dish. It’s not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, so you leave it out if you don’t like it or if you can’t get hold of it. The sauce will be delicious without it anyway.
A vegan diet does not include dairy products, so grated cheese like Parmesan is not an option here. Fortunately, there are substitutes you can use. You can prepare some “fake” Parmesan with nuts and nutritional yeast or get some vegan Parmesan* in stores or online. So there are options for cheese lovers ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced finely
5-6 garlic cloves, diced finely
2 celery stalks, diced finely
1 large purple carrot, diced finely
9 oz. (250g) brown mushrooms (champignons), diced finely
5.3 oz. (150g) fresh shiitake, diced finely
5.3 oz. (150g) beluga lentils, rinsed
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped finely
2-3 thyme sprigs, chopped finely
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. flaky sea salt
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika powder
some drops of liquid smoke* (optional)
some fresh pepper
1/2 cup (120ml) dry red wine (vegan)
1 1/2 cups (360ml) vegetable stock
2 cans (each 14 oz. /400g) diced tomatoes
2-3 EL Olivenöl
1 mittelgroße rote Zwiebel, fein gewürfelt
5-6 Knoblauchzehen, fein gewürfelt
2 Stangen Staudensellerie, fein gewürfelt
1 große lila Karotte, fein gewürfelt
250g braune Champignons, fein gewürfelt
150g Shiitake Pilze, fein gewürfelt
150g Beluga Linsen
2 Rosmarinzweige, fein gehackt
2-3 Thymianzweige, fein gehackt
1 TL getrockneter Oregano
1 TL Meersalzflocken
1/2 TL Smoked Paprika Pulver
einige Tropfen Liquid Smoke* (optional)
frisch gemahlener Pfeffer
120ml trockener Rotwein (vegan)
360ml Gemüsebrühe
2 Dosen (je 400g) gestückelte Tomaten
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Heat up a large pot or dutch oven. Add the olive oil and heat up. Add the diced onion and fry until soft and glossy. Add the diced garlic and fry for a minute with the onions. Add the diced celery and carrot and fry for 4-5 minutes – stir from time to time so nothing burns. Add the diced mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned. Rinse the beluga lentils with cold water, drain and add to the pot – mix everything and let cook for another 2 Minutes. Mix in the chopped rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, smoked paprika, liquid smoke* (optional), and some fresh pepper. Deglaze with the red wine and vegetable stock, bring back to a boil, then add the diced tomatoes and mix in. Reduce the heat to a medium-low, cover the pot/dutch oven, and let the sauce simmer for about 1 hour. If too much liquid evaporates during cooking, add some additional water, and continue cooking. Season the bolognese with some more salt and pepper if necessary and serve with your favorite pasta.
2. Das Olivenöl in einen großen Topf oder Kasserole geben und erhitzen. Die gewürfelte Zwiebel dazugeben und glasig andünsten, dann den Knoblauch hinzufügen und eine Minute lang mit den Zwiebelwürfeln anbraten. Gewürfelte Sellerie und Karotte dazugeben und für 4-5 Minuten mit anbraten – ab und zu umrühren, damit nichts anbrennt. Pilze dazugeben und für 6-8 Minuten anbraten. Die Linsen mit kaltem Wasser spülen, abtropfen lassen und dann zum Topf dazugeben – alles gut vermischen und für weitere 2 Minuten mit andünsten. Rosmarin, Thymian, Oregano, Salz, Paprikapulver und Liquid Smoke* (optional) dazugeben und alles gut verrühren. Mit frisch gemahlenem Pfeffer würzen und dann mit dem Rotwein und der Gemüsebrühe ablöschen. Alles kurz aufkochen, dann die gestückelten Tomaten dazugeben. Die Hitzezufuhr etwas reduzieren und dann alles abgedeckt für ca. 1 Stunde köcheln lassen. Sollte viel Flüssigkeit verdampfen während des Kochens, noch etwas Wasser dazugeben. Die Bolognese nach Belieben mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und dann zusammen mit Lieblingspasta servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Vegan Mushroom & Lentil Bolognese
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 01:25
- Total Time: 02:00
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Classic Italian dish turned vegan: Mushroom & Lentil Bolognese with Pasta.
Ingredients
2–3 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced finely
5–6 garlic cloves, diced finely
2 celery stalks, diced finely
1 large purple carrot, diced finely
9 oz. (250g) brown mushrooms (champignons), diced finely
5.3 oz. (150g) fresh shiitake, diced finely
5.3 oz. (150g) beluga lentils, rinsed
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped finely
2–3 thyme sprigs, chopped finely
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. flaky sea salt
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika powder
some drops of liquid smoke* (optional)
some fresh pepper
1/2 cup (120ml) dry red wine (vegan)
1 1/2 cups (360ml) vegetable stock
2 cans (each 14 oz. /400g) diced tomatoes
Instructions
1. Peel and dice the onion and garlic finely. Wash and dry the celery and carrot and dice finely. Clean the mushrooms/shiitake and dice finely. Wash and dry the rosemary and thyme, remove the leaves from the stems and chop finely. Set everything aside.
2. Heat up a large pot or dutch oven. Add the olive oil and heat up. Add the diced onion and fry until soft and glossy. Add the diced garlic and fry for a minute with the onions. Add the diced celery and carrot and fry for 4-5 minutes – stir from time to time so nothing burns. Add the diced mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned. Rinse the beluga lentils with cold water, drain and add to the pot – mix everything and let cook for another 2 Minutes. Mix in the chopped rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, smoked paprika, liquid smoke* (optional), and some fresh pepper. Deglaze with the red wine and vegetable stock, bring back to a boil, then add the diced tomatoes and mix in. Reduce the heat to a medium-low, cover the pot/dutch oven, and let the sauce simmer for about 1 hour. If too much liquid evaporates during cooking, add some additional water, and continue cooking. Season the bolognese with some more salt and pepper if necessary and serve with your favorite pasta.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
Keywords: vegan, bolognese, mushrooms, lentils, pasta
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;)
