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For many of us who grew up in the Midwest, pasta with a hearty meat and tomato sauce was a staple on cold fall and winter nights, but there was hardly ever a vegetarian pasta on the table with the same level of soul-warming comfort.
Luckily, there are plenty of vegetarian-friendly substitutes, like lentils, that can step in and replicate even the most robust of meat dishes. Bolognese is a classic Italian pasta dish; the sauce is a rustic and hearty ragout, traditionally made with ground beef and a bounty of herbs and vegetables in a richly-flavored tomato sauce. In this vegetarian version, meaty, creamy lentils stand in for the beef to create a satisfying, protein-packed entre that can warm up even the coldest of nights.
About this Vegetarian Pasta with Lentil Bolognese
Simply saute the lentils in olive oil with onions, carrots and garlic then add traditional Italian marinara ingredients like red wine, tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Simmered with herbs like oregano and bay leaves, the lentils drink in all the flavors as they cook to tender perfection and create a voluptuous sauce so delicious that nobody will even miss the meat!
This recipe calls for rigatoni, as the large tubes soak up the sauce best, but feel free to use whatever pasta you have on hand. Also feel free to use this sauce as a clean out the fridge endeavor by using spare veggies from the produce drawer such as celery, mushrooms, celery root, parsnips, bell peppers or eggplant. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Pasta Rigatoni with Lentil Bolognese Sauce
Meaty, creamy lentils stand in for ground beef in this delicious vegetarian pasta Bolognese.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 2 carrots (peeled and diced small (about inch or cm))
- 1 large white onion (diced small (about inch or cm))
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup green or brown lentils
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons red cooking wine (or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
- 6 sprigs fresh oregano (tied into a bundle with a bit of twine (or 2 teaspoons dried oregano))
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 28- ounce 794 gram can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 pound dried rigatoni pasta (or penne, spaghetti or whatever noodle you prefer)
- 1 bunch fresh parsley (roughly chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes))
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 ounces grated parmesan cheese
- 1 bunch basil leaves (picked and lightly torn)
Directions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, lentils and red pepper flakes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables start to become translucent.
- Add the tomato paste and red wine to the pot. Cook for 2 more minutes to allow the vinegar to cook out and the tomato paste to caramelize.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes and the vegetable stock into the pot along with the oregano and bay leaves. Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and tightly cover the pot. Simmer for 35-40 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so, until the lentils are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente according to the instructions on the package. Before draining the pasta, reserve two ladles worth of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse it with some cold running water to cool it down, toss it with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick, and set aside.
- Remove the oregano and bay leaves from the pot once the lentils are done cooking. Add the cooked pasta, reserved pasta cooking water, and chopped parsley to the pot with the lentils. Stir around to coat the pasta completely with the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the pasta and sauce into bowls, top each bowl with a small handful of grated parmesan cheese and a few leaves of torn basil.
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