VEGAN BOLOGNESE - NO TOFU LENTILS Lentil time again. This a heart-warming, saliva-inducing, fibertastic vegan bolognese recipe.

We know…it sounds sad. Like a sad try to reproduce something as comforting and as satisfying as real bolognese.

But this is different. When you try this – you’ll know, all those real bolognese recipes are begging to be this recipe.

We remember – when we were a poor student we used to love bolognese. Loooooved it. There wasn’t a thing in this world that couldn’t be fixed with a serving of bolognese pasta – fail the exams – bolognese, couldn’t pay rent – bolognese, had a rat in the apartment – distract it with some bolognese and run for your life before it bites you again.

Just kidding. We have never failed an exam.

Now we only make vegan bolognese, because we're older and we need more fiber. Well not only. Vegan bolognese is good for our health, it’s good for our skin and it’s good for the animals, that can now live a (hopefully) happy life.

The sauce is not only vegan, but also gluten-free and you can use it with gluten-free pasta if you’re gluten-free sensitive. We used however wholegrain pasta.

VEGAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE Tofu is one of our biggest enemies in the whole wide world (www), so we decided to use lentils for the sauce. Not only because us and lentils have a long history together, but because they prove to us every single time that they provide a reliable service out there. They’re satisfying, versatile and healthy.

We also added mushrooms – which is kinda new to us, because normally we don’t like mushrooms. But in this recipe they’re a solid fit.

You wouldn’t even notice that there isn’t any meat in this sauce.

BEAUTY AND HEALTH PROPERTIES

Another thing that you might not even consider while getting messy with this heavenly sauce is that it’s actually healthy and good for your skin.

This vegan pasta is loaded with:

fiber for clear skin
protein and iron to build healthy skin, nails and hair
lycopene for sun protection
beta-carotene for healthy complexion
Vitamin E and Vitamin C for young and fresh looking skin

The ingredients have these properties:

anti-aging
anti-cancer
antioxidant
anti-inflammatory
heart-healthy
detoxifying properties
collagen-boosting

Which means – in this case what tastes great is also great for your health and your looks.

VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE BOLOGNESE SAUCE NO TOFU BUT LENTILS Just dive in.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE SAUCE

1 cup (around 200g) lentils - soaked over night
1 cup (100g) white mushrooms
1/4 cup (35g) sunflower seeds
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
2 cups tomato sauce
3 carrots
1/3 cup olives - chopped, no kernels
1/3 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup parsley
1/4 cup almond milk (or other nut/oat milk) - this is optional
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chilli powder/hot pepper powder
salt to taste (about 1 tsp)

ADD

1-2 cups (around 250g) farfale pasta

Method

Boil whole wheat pasta according to instructions on the label, then drain and rinse with cold water and drain again.
In the mean time shred lentils (soaked over night) in your food processor until they look like this:
Transfer to a large deep skillet, but don't cook them yet - have patience.
First shred mushrooms and sunflower seeds in your food processor until they look like this:
Add the shredded mushrooms and sunflower seeds to the lentils in the skillet. Then shred the onion and add it to the ingredients in the skillet. Add the olive oil, turn on the heat - medium-high and sautee for 2-3 Minutes constantly stirring.
Meanwhile in a food processor blend tomato sauce with 2 garlic cloves. Add to the ingredients in the skillet, cover with a lid and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them and if the sauce is too thick add more water - if it's too thin add tomato paste. We would suggest trying the lentils before the next step, just to make sure they're cooked. Mine were ready in 8 minutes, because they were soaked over night and shredded.
Add carrots, olives, basil, parsley and a smashed garlic clove and stir in well - shouldn't take more than 2 minutes. If you'd like to make the sauce creamier add some nut/oat milk and stir in. Right after that turn the heat off but still stir.
Last but not least - serve with whole wheat pasta. We find it best, when we just add the cooked pasta to the sauce in the skillet - because it mixes well and we eat right away.
Store for up to 3 days in a fridge, we haven't tried to freeze it. If you've added the pasta to the sauce reheat in a skillet, adding some water to the mixture.