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    Homemade Red Lentil Bolognese (With Fresh Tomatoes!)

    Published on February 10, 2018. Last updated on August 31, 2022 by Gina Marie 11 Comments

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    Take those fresh tomatoes from your garden and make this homemade tomato sauce! This Red Lentil Bolognese dish has protein and made with simple ingredients.

    lentil tomato sauce in a pot with wooden ladle

    We LOVE tomatoes here at Vegan With Curves! Every thing to making homemade tomato paste, plum tomato sauce, and even vegan fried green tomatoes!

    Even though this recipe is made with fresh tomatoes, there is no need for food mills, straining, or peeling. Making this a super easy and simple recipe!

    Plus this Red Lentil Bolognese has over 19 grams of protein which is perfect for vegan weight gain!

    Why Add Red Lentils to Homemade Tomato Sauce?

    Adding red lentils to your homemade tomato sauce has 3 benefits:

    • It gives the tomato sauce plant based protein.
    • It makes the tomato sauce filling and hearty.
    • Red lentils gives you the added benefit of fiber!

    To learn more about red lentils check out What Are Lentils article.

    How to Make Red lentil Bolognese?

    *Please read detailed and printable recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.

    1. Add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and red wine to a pot. Stir and cook until well combined. (Photos 1 & 2)
    2. Add fresh tomatoes, basil, oregano, and organic cane sugar to the pot with your red wine sauce. Stir until combined and blend sauce until it becomes a sauce. (Photos 3 & 4)
    3. Add red lentils to your sauce and simmer until tender. Serve over cooked spaghetti pasta. (Photos 5 & 6)
    6 grid step by step photo of making red lentil spaghetti sauce

    Substitution, Cook, & Storage Tips

    • I used red lentils because they cook faster than traditional brown lentils. But if all you have is brown lentils, feel free to use those.
    • Although fresh tomatoes is highly recommended, canned tomatoes can be substituted.
    • You can serve this sauce over penne pasta, rotini pasta or even zucchini pasta!
    • This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days and it can be frozen for up to 1 month.

    How Does This Recipe Help With Vegan Weight Gain?

    Lentils contain good amount of complex carbs and protein. One serving of this sauce alone (not including the pasta) will give you 10 grams of protein and 33 grams of carbs.

    red lentil tomato sauce on top of spaghetti pasta with fresh basil on a white plate with a fork

    More Lentil Recipes You’ll Love

    • vegan lentil meatballs
    • vegan lentil meatloaf
    • lentil shepherds pie
    • coconut lentil curry

    WANT MORE? Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER  and follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, and Tik Tok for the latest updates.

    lentil tomato sauce in a pot with wooden ladle

    Homemade Red lentil Bolognese (With Fresh Tomatoes!)

    Take those fresh tomatoes from your garden and make this homemade tomato sauce! This Red Lentil Bolognese dish has protein and made with simple ingredients.
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Keyword: red lenti spaghetti, red lentil pasta sauce, red lentil sauce
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 5 servings (5 cups of Sauce)
    Calories: 366kcal
    Author: Gina Marie

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon vegan butter
    • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
    • ½ large onion, chopped
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ cup tomato paste
    • ½ cup red cooking wine note 1
    • 7-8 medium tomatoes, chopped (should equal about 5 cups of tomatoes chopped) note 2
    • 1 cup Vegan Bone Broth note 3
    • handful fresh basil, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
    • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
    • ¾ cup dried red lentils note 4
    • additional fresh basil for garnish optional
    • store bought Vegan Parmesan Cheese optional
    US Customary - Metric

    Equipment

    Cooking Pot
    Immersion Blender or Potato Masher

    Instructions

    • Place pot over medium high heat and add oil and butter allowing the oil and butter to get hot and melt. Next add your garlic paste and onions and saute' for 2 to 3 minutes until onions start to soften.
    • Next add salt, pepper, tomato paste, and red cooking wine to your pot and stir until tomato paste is well combined with the wine, onions, and garlic for about 20 to 40 seconds. It should look like a sauce.
    • Then you will add your fresh tomatoes and stir until it fully combines with the red wine sauce for about 30 to 60 seconds.
    • To your fresh tomatoes you are going to add Vegan Bone Broth, fresh basil, dried oregano, and organic cane sugar. Stir until seasonings are fully combined for about a minute. Turn down heat to low and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes uncovered.
    • Next take you're Immersion (Handheld) Blender and blend your tomato sauce until it is smooth. I you don't have an Immersion Blender, use a potato masher to get it as smooth as you possibly can. Or you could or carefully add your sauce to a blender, blend until smooth and add it back to your pot.
    • Once sauce is smooth, add your dried red lentils and stir them into your sauce. On low heat, simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes uncovered until lentils are tender and thoroughly cooked through. Do NOT over cook your red lentils are they will become too mushy. (Unless you like them that way).
    • Once lentils become tender, turn off heat and serve your red lentil spaghetti sauce over spaghetti pasta. Garnish with additional basil if you like and some vegan Parmesan cheese. This goes really well with vegan garlic bread or a fresh salad!
    • This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days and it can be frozen for up to 1 month.

    Video

    Notes

    1. RED COOKING WINE: If you prefer not to use red wine in your sauce you can omit it and replace with an equal amount of vegan broth.
    2. FRESH TOMATOES: Although fresh tomatoes is highly recommended, canned tomatoes can be substituted. Just make sure the canned tomatoes aren't seasoned as it might throw off the flavor of the sauce. I have only personally made this recipe with fresh tomatoes.
    3.  VEGAN BONE BROTH: For this recipe I used my homemade Slow Cooker Vegan Bone Broth but you can substitute with whatever vegetable broth you desire. 
    4. RED LENTILS: I used red lentils because they cook faster than traditional brown lentils. But if all you have is brown lentils, feel free to use those. You will just need to adjust to a longer cooking time. I have only tried this recipe with red lentils. You could also omit the lentils all together for a plan tomato sauce and store it for later. When you are ready to use, you could add your choice of vegan crumbles, mushrooms, walnuts, etc.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Homemade Red lentil Bolognese (With Fresh Tomatoes!)
    Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
    Calories 366 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Monounsaturated Fat 2g
    Sodium 439mg19%
    Potassium 876mg25%
    Carbohydrates 53g18%
    Fiber 16g67%
    Sugar 15g17%
    Protein 19g38%
    Vitamin A 1869IU37%
    Vitamin C 30mg36%
    Calcium 62mg6%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Be sure to PIN IT on Pinterest, leave a comment below, rate it, and mention @_VeganWithCurves using #veganwithcurves hashtag on Instagram so I can see it!

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my full Affiliate Disclaimer.

    © Gina Marie Hoskins. Vegan With Curves. All Rights Reserved. Unless noted otherwise, all images, recipes, & content are copyright protected and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. My images and written content are NOT to be used without prior permission. Read full Copyright Disclosure.

    © Gina Marie Hoskins. Vegan With Curves. All Rights Reserved. Unless noted otherwise, all images, recipes, & content are copyright protected and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. My images and written content are NOT to be used without prior permission. Read full Copyright Disclosure.

    « Slow Cooker Vegan Bone Broth
    7 Tips to Gaining Weight on a Vegan Diet (Vegan Weight Gain Guide) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ariel

      February 26, 2018 at 8:02 pm

      5 stars
      OBSESSED with this recipe! Just made it tonight, and it was so delicious! I love how hearty the sauce is.

      Reply
    2. Jazz

      January 12, 2017 at 2:24 pm

      I love the presentation of this dish! I just got into veggie noodles and am investing in a spiralizer soon. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • GinaMarie

        August 08, 2017 at 1:31 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Aaron | The Hungry Hutch

      January 10, 2017 at 11:10 pm

      This makes me want to pull out my spiralizer!

      Reply
      • GinaMarie

        August 08, 2017 at 1:34 pm

        Lol ????????????

        Reply
    4. Marsha

      January 10, 2017 at 7:41 pm

      4 stars
      I have a spiralizer but haven't used it. this looks delicious. maybe I'll try it this weekend.

      Reply
      • GinaMarie

        August 08, 2017 at 1:34 pm

        Hope it turned out well for you ????

        Reply
    5. Tanya

      January 09, 2017 at 5:24 pm

      5 stars
      I was just staring at my spiralizer earlier today wondering what in the world I was going to do. We recieved one for Christmas. Zucchini noodles it is!

      Reply
      • GinaMarie

        August 08, 2017 at 1:33 pm

        They are so quick and less time consuming love veggie noodles!

        Reply
    6. Britt | Sweet Tea & Thyme

      January 09, 2017 at 3:39 pm

      I love zucchini! I could see this with the zoodles, looking like a plate of spaghetti and meat sauce!

      Reply
      • GinaMarie

        August 08, 2017 at 1:31 pm

        Zucchini is ny favorite!

        Reply
    4.80 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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