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

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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.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS (Metric)
300 g brown lentils (Note 1)
1 tbsp fine sea salt (for brining lentils)
1.50 l cold water (for brining lentils)
180 g onion (approx. 1 medium onion for 6 servings)
¾ tsp neutral tasting oil (such as vegetable or canola), divided
450 g carrots (approx. 4 – 5 large carrots for 6 servings)
300 g celery (approx. 1/4 bunch for 6 servings)
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 ½ tsp white sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsp crushed garlic)
1 tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp oregano, dried
1 ½ tbsp miso
5 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
800 g diced tomatoes, pureed
625 ml liquid vegetable stock (or 2 1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder mixed with 2 1/2 cups water)
12 fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
1 ½ tsp Balsamic vinegar
To Serve
350 g gluten free pasta, use a “thicker” pasta type such as spirals, penne or pappardelle (Note 3)
3 l water (for cooking pasta)
1 tbsp fine sea salt (for cooking pasta)
30 g Parmesan, freshly grated
Freshly ground black pepper
INGREDIENTS (Imperial)
10.60 oz brown lentils (Note 1)
1 tbsp fine sea salt (for brining lentils)
1.30 qts cold water (for brining lentils)
6.40 oz onion (approx. 1 medium onion for 6 servings)
1 ½ tsp neutral tasting oil (such as vegetable or canola), divided
1 lb carrots (approx. 4 – 5 large carrots for 6 servings)
10.60 oz celery (approx. 1/4 bunch for 6 servings)
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 ½ tsp white sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsp crushed garlic)
1 tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp oregano, dried
1 ½ tbsp miso
5 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
28.20 oz diced tomatoes, pureed
21.10 fl oz liquid vegetable stock (or 2 1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder mixed with 2 1/2 cups water)
12 fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
1 ½ tsp Balsamic vinegar
To Serve
12.40 oz gluten free pasta, use a “thicker” pasta type such as spirals, penne or pappardelle (Note 3)
2.60 qts water (for cooking pasta)
1 tbsp fine sea salt (for cooking pasta)
1 oz Parmesan, freshly grated
Freshly ground black pepper

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.

To Serve

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!