High Protein Lentil Bolognese (Vegan, Grain-free)

High protein lentil bolognese served with grain-free (chickpea) pasta is a powerhouse supper! It is also vegan, easy, frugal, and boasts almost 20 grams protein per serving.

Bolognese made with Lentils

It’s pasta time.

Hearty, satisfying pasta that tastes like it has been simmering all day. Pasta that makes you feel cozy, even when it still feels like summer outside.

The pasta happens to be frugal, packed with nutrition, meat-free, dairy-free, and grain-free, too.

It’s my High-Protein Lentil Bolognese. Isn’t the sauce a stunner?

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Pooped at the end of a long workday? Me, too. So rest assured, I crafted this dish to require little effort, as well as a minimum of dirty pots and pans. 

It’s so worth it. 

Recipe Benefits

• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• Gluten-free
• Grain-free
• High protein (19.4 grams protein per serving)
• High fiber (14.3 grams fiber per serving)
• Easy to make

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.

• carrot
• celery
• onion
• garlic
• olive oil
• Italian dried herb blend
• red lentils
• canned tomato puree
• dry white wine balsamic vinegar
• nondairy milk (e.g., soy milk, cashew milk, almond milk)
• chickpea pasta (I use penne)
• Optional: chopped fresh parsley leaves, Vegan Parmesan Cheese

How to Make Lentil Bolognese

Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.

First up, finely chop an onion, a medium carrot, a stalk of celery, and several cloves of garlic.  I throw all into a food processor.

Carrots and celery may sound odd for a red sauce, but their subtle sweetness is essential for a traditional bolognese. Using “tradition” as my rationale may sound ridiculous, considering this is a very untraditional bolognese. But it is also all the more reason why I wanted to keep the underlying flavors classic. 

Step One: Cook Vegetables

Cook and stir the vegetables over medium-high heat for 6 to 7 minutes until softened, then add a tablespoon of dried Italian herbs.

Step Two: Add Lentils

Next, add the lentils, tomato puree (this is thicker and richer than crushed tomatoes), water, white wine, and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.

I use split red lentils because they cook in roughly half the time of whole lentils, However, you can use whatever lentils you have on hand. You will need to add about 15 to 20 minutes more cooking time as well as about 1/2 cup more water.

Step Three: Cook the Sauce

Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, Cook the sauce, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The lentils should be mostly soft at this point.

Partially cover the pot and cook 20 minutes longer, allowing the sauce to thicken and the flavors intensify.  

Step Four: Add Remaining Ingredients

Remove the pot from the heat and add the final ingredient: milk.

Like the carrots and celery, this might sound weird. It’s not; it’s another traditional addition (well, not the nondairy part, but you get the idea). The milk lightens and mellows the sauce. Don’t we all need more mellow at mealtime?

Go ahead and taste the sauce, adjusting the salt to your liking. 

You can pair this sauce with any pasta you prefer. In my case, that’s chickpea flour penne pasta!

Tip: Use Chickpea Pasta for Even More Protein

Pasta made from chickpea flour is not newfangled craziness; it’s actually a classic option throughout southern Italy. It is appearing with greater regularity in supermarkets, too, right alongside regular pasta.

The texture of chickpea flour pasta is just like regular pasta but with FLAVOR (slightly nutty…umm, like chickpeas). It is also packed with protein and fiber.

Both my local supermarket (Kroger) and Wal-Mart, in my smallish Texas town, now sport not 1, not 2, but 3 brands of chickpea pasta (Banza, Barilla, and Lensi)! It is likely available at your local stores, too.  If it is not with the other pasta, check out the health food section of the store. You can also order it online.

20 grams of Protein per Serving

Toss the sauce with the hot cooked pasta. Serve, sprinkled with optional parsley and Vegan Parmesan Cheese.

It’s even more delicious than it looks.

Have a big bowl! 1/8 of the recipe (about 1 and 2/3 cups) has almost 20 grams of protein and 14.3 grams fiber (kapow!), yet only 316 calories.

That’s my kind of traditional.

Happy eating!

More Amazing Vegan Lentil Recipes to Love:

• Lentil & Vegetable Kefta
• Vegan Lentil Taco Meat
• Turmeric Lentils with Moroccan Carrots
• Vegan Lentil Cincinnati Chili
• Grain-Free Lentil Loaf {High Protein}
• 3-Ingredient Lentil Soup
• Lentil & Mushroom Meatballs
• Rosemary Garlic Lentil Flatbread
• Vegan Lentil Frittata Bars (oil-free, grain-free)

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4.98 from 42 votes

High Protein Lentil Bolognese (Vegan, Grain-free)

By: Camilla

Hearty, healthy, homestyle bolognese, made with lentils and grain-free (chickpea) pasta. It is vegan, easy, frugal, and very high in protein (almost 20 grams per serving).

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 47 minutes minutes

Total Time: 52 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 medium carrot, peeled, cut into pieces
• ▢ 1 large stalk celery, cut into pieces
• ▢ 1 medium-large onion, cut into chunks
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian dried herb blend
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
• ▢ 2 cups 500 mL water
• ▢ 1 28- ounce 794 g can tomato puree (not crushed tomatoes)
• ▢ 1/2 cup 125 mL dry white wine (see note for options)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1/3 cup 75 mL nondairy milk
• ▢ 16 ounces 454 g chickpea pasta (I used penne)
• ▢ Optional: chopped fresh parsley leaves, Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Place the carrot pieces, celery, onion and garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables; cook and stir for 6 to 7 minutes until softened. Add the herbs and salt; cook and stir 1 minute longer.
• Add the lentils, water, tomato puree, wine, and vinegar to pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Partially cover and cook 20 minutes longer until sauce has thickened.
• Remove pot from heat and stir in milk. Adjust the salt to taste.
• Toss the sauce with the hot cooked pasta. Serve, sprinkled with optional parsley and Vegan Parmesan Cheese.

Notes

Storage: Store the cooled sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Wine Options: An equal amount of red wine, vegetable broth or water can be used in place of the white wine.

Lentils: Other varieties of lentils can be used in place of the split red lentils. Split red lentils cook faster than other lentils, so plan on simmering the sauce for an extra 15 to 20 minutes and add an extra 1/2 cup of water, or more as needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of recipe (1 and 2/3 cups) | Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.5g | Protein: 19.4g | Fat: 5.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 501.3mg | Fiber: 14.3g | Sugar: 11.8g

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