Vegan lentil & walnut bolognese with spaghetti
Hearty, umami-packed vegan bolognese using lentils, walnuts and mushrooms — perfect for midweek pasta nights.
This vegan bolognese swaps mince for a savoury blend of lentils, walnuts and chestnut mushrooms — all the texture and umami without the meat. It’s a brilliant weeknight supper: low fuss but with plenty of depth.
Make it on a rainy evening with a big pot of spaghetti and a green salad. The sauce rewards a little patience on the hob — a proper simmer brings out the best in the tomatoes and lentils.
Ingredients
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — large, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed or finely sliced
- 2 carrots — medium, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks — finely diced
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms — finely chopped or pulsed
- 50 g walnuts — roughly chopped or pulsed
- 400 g tinned brown lentils — drained weight c. 240 g
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 300 ml vegetable stock — hot
- 75 ml red wine — optional — replace with extra stock to avoid alcohol
- 15 ml soy sauce
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 ml smoked paprika — adds depth — optional
- 5 ml caster sugar — balances acidity
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
- 400 g spaghetti
- 10 g fresh basil leaves — to serve, roughly torn
Equipment
- food processor or small blender (optional)
Instructions
Prep everything first. Finely dice the brown onion, carrots and celery sticks. Crush or finely slice the garlic cloves. Finely chop or pulse the chestnut mushrooms and the walnuts in a food processor to a coarse, crumbly texture — do not over-blend into a paste.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium hob. Add the brown onion, carrots and celery sticks and sweat gently for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown.
Turn the heat up slightly, add the garlic cloves, chestnut mushrooms and walnuts and cook for 8 minutes until the mushrooms have browned and most of their moisture has evaporated.
Stir in the tomato purée, soy sauce, smoked paprika and dried oregano and fry for 2 minutes to deepen the flavours.
Pour in the red wine (or an extra 75 ml vegetable stock) and bubble for 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
Add the tinned chopped tomatoes, tinned brown lentils, vegetable stock, bay leaf and caster sugar. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and richly flavoured.
While the sauce simmers, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add a generous pinch of sea salt and cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente according to packet instructions (about 9–11 minutes).
Reserve about 150 ml of the pasta cooking water, then drain the spaghetti.
Remove and discard the bay leaf from the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and black pepper; if the sauce is very thick, stir in a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen.
Add the drained spaghetti to the pan with the sauce and toss over a low heat for 2 minutes so the flavours marry. Use extra reserved pasta water if needed to achieve a glossy, clingy sauce.
Divide between warmed bowls, scatter over the fresh basil leaves and finish with a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Pulse walnuts and mushrooms to a coarse crumb — leave some larger pieces for a meatier bite.
- If you don’t have a food processor, finely dice the mushrooms and roughly chop the walnuts by hand; it’s slower but works just as well.
- Make the sauce a day ahead — flavours deepen overnight; reheat gently and loosen with reserved pasta water when serving.
- For a gluten-free version, swap spaghetti for a gluten-free pasta and use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- If the sauce tastes a little flat, a small splash of red wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon at the end will brighten it.
Substitutions
walnuts → 50 g extra chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
Noticeably differenttinned brown lentils → 200 g cooked Puy lentils (drained weight), similar quantity
Stays closespaghetti → 400 g tagliatelle or your favourite dried pasta
Stays closesoy sauce → tamari (same quantity) for a gluten-free option
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 620
- Calories
- 20 g
- Protein
- 90 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this oil-free?
Yes — replace the olive oil with 75 ml vegetable stock and cook the veg over a slightly lower heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
Can I use dried lentils instead of tinned?
Yes. Use 150 g dried brown lentils, rinsed and cooked separately in 450 ml water for 20–25 minutes until tender, then drain and add to the sauce.
How do I store leftovers?
Cool fully, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently, adding a little water if the sauce has thickened too much.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Brown the veg and mushrooms first for best flavour, then transfer to a slow cooker with the remaining ingredients and cook on low for 4–6 hours.
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