Lentil bolognese is a rich and hearty pasta sauce that is budget-friendly and full of bold flavors. Plus, it makes tasty leftovers!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Total Cost: $5.58 recipe / $1.40 serving
Servings: 41 cup sauce
Author: Dalya Rubin
Ingredients
1yellow onion$0.37
1carrot$0.15
1stalkcelery$0.10
2Tbspcooking oil$0.08
4clovesgarlic$0.32
1/4tspcrushed red pepper$0.02
1/2cupfinely chopped walnuts$1.07
1cupuncooked red lentils$0.67
115oz. cancrushed tomatoes$1.00
3Tbsptomato paste$0.27
1tspdried oregano$0.10
1tspdried basil$0.10
1tspgarlic powder$0.10
1Tbspsugar$0.02
1/2tspsalt$0.02
1/4tspblack pepper$0.02
3cupsvegetable broth$0.36
1/2cupfull-fat coconut milk$0.81
Instructions
Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery. Mince the garlic.
Add the olive oil, onion, celery and carrot to a large pot. Sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes over a medium until the onions are translucent and the vegetables have softened.
Once vegetables have softened, add the minced garlic, crushed red pepper and walnuts to the pot. Saute for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the lentils, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, salt, sugar, pepper, and vegetable broth to the pot. Mix everything together and bring the sauce to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, semi covered with a lid, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes. After about 25 minutes the lentils should be soft and the sauce thickened. If the sauce is still too thin for your liking, continue simmering until it has reached your desired consistency.
Once the bolognese has reached your desired consistency and texture, stir in the coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste the bolognese and add salt to taste. Turn off the heat. The bolognese will continue to thicken as it cools.