Pasta with vegetable bolognese – a vegetarian bolognese with lentils and plenty of flavour.
Pasta with vegetable bolognese is a vegetarian weeknight favourite that is easy to make and full of flavour, body and substance.
This is a meat-free bolognese with plenty of texture and depth – and a rich umami flavour that satisfies everyone at the table, whether they miss the meat or not.
I use a mix of onion, garlic, carrot, courgette, aubergine, celery, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, which bring sweetness, body and umami to the dish. The vegetables are cut into very small dice – this gives a lovely texture, where some of it cooks down and some keeps a little bite. If you want it even finer, you can grate the vegetables instead – it’s entirely up to you.
The flavour is built up with dried herbs, tinned chopped tomatoes and a good vegetable stock, and then red lentils are added, which soften and break down slightly, helping to thicken the sauce naturally. The result is a robust, fibre-rich vegetarian dish that is both filling and packed with vegetables.
Serve it, of course, with freshly cooked pasta – and a little freshly grated cheese on top, if you like. It’s a natural choice for your meat-free days – and one that both the children and the adults in our house love.
TIP: If you have a Parmesan rind left over, you can let it simmer in the bolognese – it gives the sauce an even deeper flavour.
Pasta with Vegetable Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms
- 1 aubergine
- 1 courgette
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 4 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 50 g sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 100 g red lentils, rinsed
- 6 sprigs fresh basil
- 400 g pasta
- Oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- Parmesan
- Parsley
Method
- Blitz the mushrooms finely in a food processor, and cut the aubergine, courgette, carrots and celery into very small dice.
- Heat a good glug of oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until soft and translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and aubergine, and continue frying until the vegetables are well browned and have released their liquid – about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, courgette, celery, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and dried herbs, and fry for a further 5 minutes or so.
- Stir in the tomato purée and cook it for a moment, then add the lentils, chopped tomatoes and stock. Cover and let the bolognese simmer for about 30 minutes – or until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
- Remove the lid, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper – and let the bolognese reduce further while you cook the pasta al dente.
- Toss the basil leaves and pasta with the bolognese, or serve it on top – and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, if you like.
Nutrition
Premium
Virkelig velsmagende ret, der mangler dog i beskrivelsen hvornår de solrørrede tomater og den friske basilikum skal i.
Men et virkelig godt alternativ til en bolognese
Hej Grethe
Tusind tak:) Arh ja – det er rettet nu, tak fordi du skriver det:)
Warm wishes, Dianna