This easy rigatoni with lentil bolognese is made with very few ingredients that you most likely have hiding in your pantry! The simplicity of the dish lets the flavor and heartiness of the lentils shine.
To me, a perfect sign of a winner pasta dish is when my 17-year-old son goes for seconds and doesn't even run to the fridge looking for cheese to add to his dinner plate. And if I get a "Mama, this is really good!", it's a slam dunk.
Everyone loves pasta, and we've all heard of bolognese sauce, right? But, you might be wondering, what is lentil bolognese, anyway? Does it have any meat? Nope!! Despite the name, lentil bolognese is vegan. Here the lentils act as a replacement for ground beef. The shape and texture of the lentils come pretty close to a real bolognese sauce. And as a bonus, you get a whole lot more vitamins, minerals, and fiber! And a hefty amount of plant-based protein!
Our lentil bolognese is made with small green lentils (sometimes also called small French lentils) because they stay firmer once cooked, so the texture is a bit better. But if you don't have them on hand or can't find them at your grocery store, any other variety of lentils will work just fine.
This easy rigatoni with lentil bolognese is:
- Made with 5 ingredients
- Comes together in about 45 minutes
- Makes 6 generous portions
- It's great when paired with our Fennel, Orange and Hazelnut Salad or with our Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- It's delicious
- It's satisfying
- It's incredible nutritious
- Makes a great vegan one-bowl dinner
- Versatile! The pasta can be replaced by zucchini or sweet potato noodles for a lighter, gluten free option
Other Pasta Recipes You Must Try:
- Tagliatelle with Mushroom Ragu and Swiss Chard
- Penne Pasta With Vegan Cauliflower & Kale Walnut Pesto
- Mushroom And Veggie Sausage Pasta
- High Protein Caprese Pasta Salad
- High Protein Pasta Puttanesca
- Pea and Artichoke Pasta
- One-Pot Chickpea And Butternut Squash Pasta
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Easy Rigatoni with Lentil Bolognese
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This easy lentil bolognese is made very few ingredients that you most likely have hiding in your pantry! The simplicity of the dish lets the flavor and heartiness of the lentils shine.
Ingredients
¾ cup dry small green lentils, picked and rinsed ( see note)
1 ½ tsp salt
1 pound rigatoni (you can also use any other variety of pasta)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1-5 ounce pack baby spinach, rinsed
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a medium size sauce pan with at least 5 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking in a low boil for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender, but not mushy.
- While the lentils are cooking, bring a big pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta following the package instructions, reserving about a cup of the cooking water before draining it (remember to generously salt the pasta water)
- In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large, deep non-stick skillet with a lid. Add the tomato paste and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and cook over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the tomato paste starts to caramelize (it will start to turn a darker red)
- Add the onions and the garlic, mix well and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the onion are soft, stirring often
- Add the crushed tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes
- Once the lentils and the pasta are cooked, drain them and add them to the tomato sauce. Add as much of the reserved pasta water as you want (depending on the consistency of the sauce you prefer) and the spinach and toss well. Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, until the spinach has wilted
Notes
Even though you can use regular lentils for this recipe, you will get a better texture if you use small green lentils (also called small French lentils), because they stay firmer once cooked.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: dinner
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 469
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 858
- Fat: 6.6
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 86
- Fiber: 14
- Protein: 20
- Cholesterol: 0
Paula Zevin says
Lovely alternative to a classic Bolognese! It looks so easy and delicious that I will definitely make this and get back to you on the result. What I don't like about your new page look is that the print function of the recipe brings it up in THREE pages and wastes a lot of room, plus ads which we should only see on the web version. Your older versions condensed the recipe printing into one, two pages tops for very complicated ones. It seems to be a big waste of paper and ink, particularly when you're working on a recipe in the kitchen and can't or won't touch a tablet screen or a piece of paper with "kitchen hands."
★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Paula,
Thank you so much for your feedback regarding the print function of our recipes. Your are right, the format is not ideal. We will work on it and let you know when it is resolved.
Angela FORDHAM says
Truly delicious
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much Angela! 🙂
Cathy says
At first taste, just another pasta dish, but it grows on you (by about the 3rd fork of spoonful) to where you want seconds. My only changes - I added a half of a small can of mushrooms because I had them and I used a couple tablespoons of potato water and a couple tablespoons of lentil water because I worried about gas. That’s it. Super recipe and will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
We are glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Margot says
This is such a great recipe! I gave up eating meat many years ago and missed my bolognese sauce until I found this recipe. It’s fabulous. The lentils are the PERFECT stand-in for ground beef. I use brown lentils as the French green ones are sometimes hard to find where I live. Out of habit, I add some oregano when I’m cooking the sauce and serve with grated Parmesan at the table. Adding the spinach is a nice touch. I make it with rigatoni, penne, or qlinguine and they are all good. Who knew something so simple could be so tasty and so satisfying!?! I make this on a weekly basis as my family all loves it.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Loving your recipe adaptation, thank you for sharing!
Jo says
Beautiful recipe , so easy to make, doubted the process of making it, first time caramelising tomato paste, but came together beautiful in the last step, extra chilly and pepper, used a can of washed green lentils, added with the spinach and cooked pasta, lid on and let it heat through for 5 mins, this is my all time favourite dish, delicious the next day with feta cheese. Texture amazing, lentils very similar to ground beef . Leftovers Tasted better each day! Definitely my family’s all time favorite now.
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you so much ❤️. We are so Happy to hear!