Recipes

Lentil Bolognese

Where are my spaghetti lovers? I don’t want to brag or anything but… this Lentil Bolognese recipe is a legit crowd pleaser.

It gets its “meaty” texture from chopped veggies, frozen cauliflower rice, and canned lentils.

So, you get all of that bolognese satisfaction, but without the saturated fat and cholesterol from ground meat. I’m telling you — people love it. And they don’t even miss the meat!

As you’ll see below, I’ve provided two sets of instructions:

  1. Stovetop directions
  2. Instant Pot directions (scroll down to the end)

Hope you love this recipe as much as my family does!

  • lentil bolognese
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (sub with water for oil free sautéing)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 carrot, peeled
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 4-6 crimini mushrooms, chopped
  • 5-6 ounces of frozen cauliflower rice (half a bag)
  • 1 can lentils, drained
  • 1 32-ounce jar of marinara sauce (I like Rao’s)
  • 1 tablespoon of double concentrated tomato paste (from a tube)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • A pinch of ground nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 servings of cooked pasta of choice
  • GARNISH: chopped Italian parsley or a couple basil leaves

Directions

  • Step 1

    Pulse onion, celery, and carrot in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.

  • Step 2

    Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

    Then, add the oil. Add the onion mixture, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to brown. Add the chopped mushrooms, and saute until softened. Then, add the garlic, stirring to prevent burning.

  • Step 3

    Add the cauliflower rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, lentils, nutmeg, and bay leaf. Give everything a stir until incorporated.

  • Step 4

    Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add extra water for a thinner consistency if desired.

    While the sauce is cooking, prepare your pasta according to package instructions, then drain.

    When the sauce is done, ladle over pasta and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with Plant Based Parmesan if desired.

Notes

INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS

 

Pulse onion, celery, and carrot in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.

Add the pot liner to the Instant Pot, and set it on the sauté function. Let the pot warm up for a minute or two.

Then, add the oil. Add the onion mixture, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown. Add the chopped mushrooms, and sauté until softened. Then, add the garlic, stirring to prevent burning.

Add the cauliflower rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, nutmeg, and bay leaf. Give everything a stir until incorporated.

Press “cancel” and then lock on the lid. Set the venting knob to “sealing.” Press “pressure cook” and then set the timer for 10 minutes.

While the pressure cooker does its thing, prepare the pasta according to package instructions, then drain.

When the timer goes off, let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for about 20 minutes (which means: do nothing). After 20 minutes or so, set the venting knob to “venting” to release pressure — keep your hands and face away from the Instant Pot so you don’t get burned by the steam being released. Or, just wait until all of the pressure has been released, and the float valve has dropped completely.

Unlock the lid, and give the sauce a stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the sauce over pasta and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with Plant Based Parmesan if desired.