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January 22, 2019 By Delphine Fortin 6 Comments

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese

Easy vegan lentil-walnut bolognese with a perfect minced meat-alike texture and all the flavors you love in the traditional recipe. 

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese

You guys love my plant-based recipes and you know I’m always hungry for more recipes of the kind. It’s for me a matter of personal taste (I have always loved vegetables more than anything), but it is also the reflection of my eating habits in general. I call myself a flexitarian as I do not want to restrain myself to any particular diet, but I’m clearly more on the vegetarian and vegan side than any other kind.

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese

Cooking vegan is natural to me, but also fun and it’s an amazing way to experiment. It was years ago when people still thought that having a plant-based diet wouldn’t provide us with enough nutriments, protein, etc., and we now know as a fact that a well-balanced plant-based diet is full of benefits for us.

The key is homemade cooking, always (or at least as often as possible) as it gives you full control over the ingredients you use. And if you feel a little bit overwhelmed or don’t have the time to cook, try it once in a while in a relaxing atmosphere, surrounded by people you love. Pasta more than anything is all about generosity, so involve your friends, family, and enjoy a glass of wine while cooking if you fancy it. I believe there is a sleepy cook in each of us, it’s all about waking him up.

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese

For this recipe, I found inspiration in a vegetarian restaurant I tried in New York a few months ago where I tried a vegan lentil-walnut bolognese. I got completely obsessed with the favors, the texture, very similar to a bolognese (minus the meat) and I promised myself that I would work on my own version so I could share it with you. I’m so excited that it finally happened!

I took most of the ingredients you can find in a classic bolognese and prepared a vegan minced meat-alike texture using black lentils, crushed walnuts and chopped mushrooms. Note that I used black beluga lentils, that are slightly firmer than puys lentils, but feel free to choose one or the other depending on what you have at hands. As for the nuts, it’s important to pulse them in a food processor so you can get the right minced texture. Pulse gently and for a few seconds only as walnuts are very soft and will crush easily (you don’t want to end up with walnut butter).

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese

To this vegan minced meat-alike texture, we add the vegetable seasoning we would use for a classic bolognese, consisting on onions, carrots, celery, crushed tomato and red wine. Season and let simmer, stirring from time to time, until lentils are cooked through. The flavors, while cooking, brought me back to my mom and grandmother’s kitchens who used to cook with wine much more often than I do. I loved it!

What I love about this vegan bolognese is that it is very forgiving. Except the core ingredients that create the meat-alike texture, walnuts-lentils-mushrooms, you could easily skip some of the vegetables (carrots or celery) for a quicker version. Also, feel free to add more or less tomato sauce, more or less stock. Free yourself from the recipe, taste and adjust according to your personal tastes.

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese

I served my vegan bolognese with pappardelles (that are not vegan here) but you could use any pasta of your choice. Top with fresh ricotta cheese or almond ricotta cheese for a vegan version; add a few basil leaves, freshly black pepper, and enjoy. Note that you can freeze the bolognese in portions so that you always have some for last minute dinners.

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese
 
Save Print
Prep time
30 Minutes
Cook time
40 Minutes
Total time
1 Hour 10 Minutes
 
Easy vegan lentil-walnut bolognese with a perfect minced meat-alike texture and all the flavors you love in the traditional recipe.
Author: Delphine Fortin
Recipe type: Savory
Cuisine: Vegan
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the bolognese:
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 sticks celery, chopped
  • 2 small carrots, chopped
  • ½ cup (40g) mushrooms, chopped
  • ½ cup (65g) walnuts, crushed
  • 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
  • ½ cup (120 ml) red wine
  • ½ cup (100g) uncooked beluga lentils* or puys
  • 1½ cup (ml) vegetable stock
  • 6 cups (800g) canned crushed tomato
  • Sea salt and fresh black pepper
To serve:
  • Pasta of your choice
  • Ricotta cheese (or almond ricotta for vegan version)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh basil
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot. Once hot, add onion, garlic, and sauté for a few minutes or until soft and translucent, stirring regularly.
  2. Meanwhile, pulse walnuts in a food processor until crushed.
  3. Add other vegetables (chopped carrots, celery, mushrooms) to the pan, crushed walnuts, dried herbs and let soften for a few minutes.
  4. Pour the red wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates. Add lentils, half of the vegetable stock, crushed tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked, stirring from time to time as not to burn the base of the sauce. Add the remaining stock or water, little by little, to loosen the sauce whenever it is looking dry. Taste and adjust spices to your preference.
  5. Cook pasta of choice and serve with the bolognese, (vegan) ricotta cheese, fresh black pepper and a drizzle of oil.
Notes
* Beluga lentils are large, plump black lentils that are available in specialty gourmet stores. They have a delicate flavor and a slightly firmer texture than small, green French lentils (puys).
3.5.3251

Vegan Lentil-Walnut Bolognese

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Filed Under: Del's Favorites, Featured on the homepage, Plant-based, Savory, Vegan Recipes Tagged With: black lentil, lentil, pasta, plant based, tomato sauce, vegan bolognese

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adeline says

    24 Jan 2019 at 04:32 PM

    Bonjour Del,
    merci pour cette recette. Je n’avais pas encore lu que les images me mettaient déjà l’eau à la bouche! Je suis végétarienne. Jamais je n’aurais pensé à ces lentilles pour une sauce bolognaise.
    Je pense que je vais tester.
    Belle journée

    Adeline du blog Mes idées naturelles
    http://www.mesideesnaturelles.fr

    Reply
    • Delphine Fortin says

      24 Jan 2019 at 04:57 PM

      Bonjour Adeline et merci pour ton petit message. Cette recette est un vrai régal, je suis sûre que tu vas adorer. On ne s’en lasse pas avec mon mari, cette sauce a tout d’une vraie bolognaise, la viande en moins. Juste parfait niveau saveurs et très healthy aussi 🙂

      Reply
  2. Loucat says

    31 Jan 2019 at 06:29 PM

    C’est une superbe idée, je vais essayer ce week-end. Merci !

    Reply
    • Delphine Fortin says

      1 Feb 2019 at 12:10 AM

      J’espère que ça vous plaira autant qu’à moi. On s’est régalés par ici 🙂

      Reply
  3. Pochat Virginie says

    17 Feb 2019 at 03:11 PM

    Super fan! Un vrai régal et simple à faire

    Reply
    • Delphine Fortin says

      19 Feb 2019 at 03:17 PM

      Merci beaucoup Virginie!! 😉

      Reply

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