My Comfort Food: Vegan Lentil Bolognese

When I’m not feeling well or having a bad day, I need a meal that can lift my spirits. For me, it’s spaghetti with tomato sauce, or even better, Bolognese. However, since I rarely eat meat, I needed a good alternative for the ground meat. The answer was lentils!

The first time I read about this alternative in Bolognese, it didn’t appeal to me at all. I thought that having lentils in a sauce served with carbohydrates sounded strange, almost like eating pasta with potatoes. Today, I consider that idea complete nonsense because lentils contain a significant amount of protein that the body definitely needs.

I like to prepare the sauce in advance for the next day. This allows the sauce to infuse and develop its flavors.

For you, here’s my lentil Bolognese recipe:

Ingredients

• Red lentils

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 can of diced tomatoes*

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp paprika

• Salt and pepper to taste

• (Fresh) basil, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pot and sauté onions and garlic.

2. Add the lentils and sauté briefly.

3. Also, add the tomato paste and sauté briefly. Be careful not to let anything burn!

4. Add the can of diced tomatoes and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. (You may need to add some water.)

5. Season the mixture at the end, and turn off the stove.

6. The sauce can now infuse. I use the remaining heat for this; it saves energy! However, it will be ready at a later time.

7. (If you want to eat the Bolognese right away, then you need to let the sauce simmer longer.)

8. I cook the spaghetti separately according to the package instructions, then drain the water and add the Bolognese.

Note: *Of course, you can also buy fresh tomatoes, cut them into pieces, and add them.

Tip: Craving more vegetables? If you feel like it, you can also enhance the Bolognese with additional vegetables.

• Zucchini
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
• Eggplant
• Bell pepper You can add anything you desire. Sauté the vegetables between steps 1 and 2 before adding the lentils.

Enjoy your meal!