Superbly rich and flavourful, you won’t mind that this Bolognese doesn’t contain any meat. Plus, when it’s paired with al dente gluten-free pasta and emulsified to make a deliciously rich sauce, you’ll look forward to eating this vegetarian meal prep every time.
Lentil Bolognese
Before this recipe, I’d made countless lentil Bolognese recipe attempts and the lentil’s chewy texture and earthy flavour came through in every. single. one. And I wasn’t a fan.
Then I learnt about brining and honestly, this extra step makes ALL the difference.
Brining is the process of submerging food in a salty liquid (brine) for a while to season the food, while enhancing tenderness and flavour.
And let me tell you, brining works wonders on lentils…
It helps them retain their shape, while making them softer AND creamier, so that when they are paired with the caramelised layers of this superbly rich and flavourful Bolognese sauce and al dente gluten-free pasta, it truly creates a delicious vegetarian meal prep that you’ll look forward to eating every time.
Meal Prep and Lentil Bolognese…
How long will this be good for?
This lentil Bolognese is good (safe to eat and still tasty) when stored in the fridge for up to four days, you could probably stretch it to five days and it would still be okay to eat.
How can I reheat it?
Microwave:
- In a microwave-safe dish, cook the lentil Bolognese in the microwave, for approx. 3 minutes on high (stir midway through) or until desired temperature is reached.
Handy Tip… Sometimes pasta meal preps can get a little bit dry because the pasta soaks up the extra sauce when the meals are stored. To fix this, add a tablespoon or two of water, pop it back in the microwave to cook for another 30 seconds, then stir thoroughly to combine.
Stovetop:
- Place lentil Bolognese into a saucepan and add 2 TBSP water per serving. Over a medium heat, stir the lentil Bolognese frequently, until mixture starts to boil, then remove from heat and enjoy.
To freeze or not to freeze?
This lentil Bolognese can be frozen, although the gluten-free pasta will break up and be far softer after thawing. When you want to eat it, simply reheat in the microwave or on the stove as per above, until the desired temperature is reached.
Happy meal prepping! – Linda
Lentil Bolognese Recipe
AuthorLinda JacksonCategoryLunch / Dinner, VegetarianDifficultyBeginnerSuperbly rich and flavourful, you won't mind that this Bolognese doesn't contain any meat.
Plus, when it’s paired with al dente gluten-free pasta and emulsified to make a deliciously rich sauce, you’ll look forward to eating this vegetarian meal prep every time.
Dissolve salt and cold water in a large bowl or container. Add lentils, cover with a clean tea towel and soak at room temperature overnight (or for at least 8 hours).
Handy Tip… If you are pressed for time, use the same method as above, but use warm water instead. This way you can get the same result, but you’ll only need to soak lentils for an hour before using them.
Drain and rinse lentils under cold water in a colander, shake off excess water and set aside to use (or store in the fridge until you’re ready to use them later on).
Prep the veggies
- Finely dice onion, carrots and celery and set aside in separate bowls.
In a large pot, over medium-high heat, add ¼ tsp oil to the frying pan and spread out. Add onion and cook for approx 3 minutes or until golden brown.
Add another 1/4 tsp oil the pot and add the carrots, celery, sea salt and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for approx 15 minutes until everything is golden brown and caramelized.
Make a well in the centre of the vegetables, add the remaining 1/4 tsp oil, garlic, paprika and oregano. Cook until fragrant, approx 1 minute. Stir to combine with vegetables.
Reduce heat to medium and make another well in the centre of the vegetables. Add miso and tomato paste. Cook until fragrant, approx 1 minute. Stir to combine with vegetables.
Add brined lentils, bay leaves, pureed tomatoes and stock to the pot. Increase heat to bring Bolognese to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and let simmer for 40 minutes.
Stir balsamic vinegar and fresh basil into Bolognese sauce.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, when boiling, add pasta to the pot and stir occasionally. Cook pasta to the minimum specified packet time MINUS 1 minute. When the pasta has finished cooking, scoop out at least ¼ cups of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
Drain pasta in a colander and return pasta to pot. Add the Lentil Bolognese sauce and ¼ cup pasta water to the pasta in the pot. Gently toss pasta for a couple of minutes until pasta water evaporates and leaves you with a thick sauce that coats the pasta - this is called emulsifying.
Divide Lentil Bolognese among 6 bowls or containers, top with Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Dissolve salt and cold water in a large bowl or container. Add lentils, cover with a clean tea towel and soak at room temperature overnight (or for at least 8 hours).
Handy Tip… If you are pressed for time, use the same method as above, but use warm water instead. This way you can get the same result, but you’ll only need to soak lentils for an hour before using them.
Drain and rinse lentils under cold water in a colander, shake off excess water and set aside to use (or store in the fridge until you’re ready to use them later on).
Prep the veggies
- Finely dice onion, carrots and celery and set aside in separate bowls.
In a large pot, over medium-high heat, add ¼ tsp oil to the frying pan and spread out. Add onion and cook for approx 3 minutes or until golden brown.
Add another 1/4 tsp oil the pot and add the carrots, celery, sea salt and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for approx 15 minutes until everything is golden brown and caramelized.
Make a well in the centre of the vegetables, add the remaining 1/4 tsp oil, garlic, paprika and oregano. Cook until fragrant, approx 1 minute. Stir to combine with vegetables.
Reduce heat to medium and make another well in the centre of the vegetables. Add miso and tomato paste. Cook until fragrant, approx 1 minute. Stir to combine with vegetables.
Add brined lentils, bay leaves, pureed tomatoes and stock to the pot. Increase heat to bring Bolognese to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and let simmer for 40 minutes.
Stir balsamic vinegar and fresh basil into Bolognese sauce.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, when boiling, add pasta to the pot and stir occasionally. Cook pasta to the minimum specified packet time MINUS 1 minute. When the pasta has finished cooking, scoop out at least ¼ cups of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
Drain pasta in a colander and return pasta to pot. Add the Lentil Bolognese sauce and ¼ cup pasta water to the pasta in the pot. Gently toss pasta for a couple of minutes until pasta water evaporates and leaves you with a thick sauce that coats the pasta - this is called emulsifying.
Divide Lentil Bolognese among 6 bowls or containers, top with Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Notes:
- Brown lentils can be substituted for green lentils, French lentils, black lentils or Puy lentils. Red or yellow lentils do not hold their shape and are therefore not recommended for this recipe.
- If you do not have a food processor, pureeing the diced tomatoes can be skipped, however, it will lead to a slightly chunkier sauce.
- If you are not celiac or gluten intolerant, substitute gluten-free pasta with normal pasta.
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Recipe inspired by and adapted from: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/deliciously-rich-lentil-bolognese/