Recipe: Lentil Bolognese
Craving pasta? Try our Lentil Bolognese for dinner tonight. It’s a delicious and hefty vegetarian dish.
“Once you master the rules, you can break them” applies to many crafts, including cooking. But in fact, whether you’re a pasta Bolognese devotee or a lifelong vegetarian, you’re going to love our latest version of the dish.
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Our Lentil Bolognese — yes, you read that right — is delicious and filling, with nary a drop of animal protein. With a traditional base of onion, carrot, celery, tomato, garlic and white wine, compelling flavors abound in this dish. And instead of beef or pork, French lentils give it heft and “meatiness.”
This dish is highly nutritious, with plenty of vitamins and minerals, beneficial plant chemicals, fiber and protein.
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 yellow onion, chopped
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup French green lentils
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
12 ounces whole-wheat pasta
Makes 4 servings.
564 calories, 13 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 18 g protein, 90 g carbohydrate, 20 g dietary fiber, 12 g sugar, 0 g added sugar, 0 mg cholesterol, 632 mg sodium
Developed by Sara Quessenberry for Cleveland Clinic Wellness