Italy · Cereal and Pasta Dishes

Lentil Bolognese

Red lentils simmered with soffritto, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and red wine into a thick, deeply savory pasta sauce.

45 min✻4 servings✻480 kcal
Lentil Bolognese

Ingredients

  • red lentils200 g
  • canned crushed tomatoes400 g
  • tomato paste3 tbsp
  • vegetable stock700 ml
  • dry red wine120 ml
  • medium onion1
  • medium carrots2
  • celery stalks2
  • garlic cloves4
  • walnuts60 g
  • olive oil3 tbsp
  • dried oregano1 tsp
  • dried thyme1 tsp
  • pappardelle, tagliatelle, or rigatoni400 g

Method

  1. 1Build the soffritto. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and the onion is starting to turn golden at the edges. Don't rush this — the soffritto is where the sauce gets its sweetness and depth. Add the garlic and dried herbs and cook for another 60 seconds.
  2. 2Brown the tomato paste. Push the vegetables to the sides and add the tomato paste to the center of the pot. Let it sit on the heat for 2 to 3 minutes without stirring, then stir it into the vegetables. It should darken slightly and smell toasty rather than raw. This step makes a noticeable difference to the final flavor — caramelized tomato paste tastes nothing like paste straight from the tube.
  3. 3Deglaze and build the sauce. Pour in the red wine and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Let it bubble and reduce for 2 minutes. Add the rinsed red lentils, crushed tomatoes, and vegetable stock. Stir everything together and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 8 to 10 minutes, until the lentils have mostly dissolved into the sauce and it has thickened considerably.
  4. 4Add walnuts and finish. Stir in the chopped walnuts and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste carefully: the sauce likely needs more salt. Add black pepper. If it tastes sharp or flat, a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar or a small pinch of sugar usually fixes it. The sauce should be thick enough to mound slightly on a spoon — if it's still loose, simmer a few minutes more uncovered. If it's too thick, add a splash of the pasta cooking water.
  5. 5Toss with pasta and serve. Cook the pasta until just al dente in well-salted water, saving a cup of the cooking water before draining. Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce and toss over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, adding pasta water a splash at a time to loosen if needed. The starch in the water binds the sauce to the pasta better than any other method. Serve in warmed bowls with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil or parsley if you have it.