Vegan Mushroom Bolognese with Lentils (Instant Pot or not)
Mushrooms - the most underrated fungus in the kitchen ever!
One of the things I have struggled to get to my liking since following a more plant-based diet and whole-food way of eating is to get a good bolognese-style sauce that my whole family will enjoy. I am not too fussy, and I have enjoyed most of the ones I have made. But alas, the family have not agreed.
So after many attempts and eating Vegan Bolognese on my own daily for a week at a time to finish the pot of food my family wouldn’t eat, I finally did it. I hit the nail on the head and created it. The one, the best, in my opinion, Vegan bolognese I have ever eaten.
And because I am all for transparency, I will put a “real” picture here of it to prove how absolutely delicious and amazing it turned out. I probably won't always post pictures of the food I make, purely because my real food photography skills lack greatly and sometimes can make the food look downright awful. So I’ll spare you.
I use an Instant Pot when I make any Bolognese or any food that could do with a long cook. I just don’t have the time to stand at a stove for an hour or more, making it traditionally. So this recipe is based on my Instant Pot method, but you can just do it on the stove the same as you would any Bolognese type sauce.
The trick to the lentils being hearty and comforting in this dish is soaking the Lentils overnight. That way, they soak up all the good sauce and aren’t crunchy, They become the base, and the mushroom gives the bolognese the “meatiness”
Ingredients:
1 cup dry red lentils soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 cup brown lentils soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons Sunflower oil
1 Large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, grated
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
16oz (about 450g) mushrooms, finely chopped or a 500gram Bag of Frozen
1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
500 ml vegetable broth
1/4 cup red wine (optional)
Cooked pasta of your choice or Mashed Potato
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions for stovetop and Instant Pot follow.
Instructions for stove top:
Cook the Brown lentils: Combine the rinsed brown lentils in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are tender but not mushy. Drain any excess water and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic, sautéing until softened and fragrant.
Add grated carrots and chopped celery to the skillet. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Incorporate finely chopped mushrooms and the drained red lentils into the skillet and cook until they release their moisture and become golden brown. The lentils will cook down and start to become thicker.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine.
Pour in vegetable broth and red wine (if using), allowing the mixture to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld.
Add the cooked brown lentils to the skillet, stirring to combine. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes, adjusting seasoning if necessary. They are done when they can squish easily between your thumb and forefinger and are no longer crunchy.
cook your preferred pasta according to package instructions or even better, make your own fresh, while the Bolognese simmers away and gets extra yummy.
Serve the Vegan Mushroom Bolognese over the cooked pasta, garnishing with fresh chopped parsley.
Instant Pot instructions:
On sauté mode in the inner pot, heat olive oil until ready. Add chopped onions and garlic, sautéing until softened and fragrant. Do not let it stick or burn. Add a tiny amount of vegetable broth or red wine (if using) to deglaze if necessary.
Add grated carrots and chopped celery to the spot. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Incorporate finely chopped mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until they get softer and release some moisture.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine.
Pour in vegetable broth and mix well. All vegetables must be covered with broth.
Slowly sprinkle all the lentils over the top of the broth mixture. DO NOT STIR!!
Close the lid and set the vent to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Let it naturally release pressure. If you get a burn message, it means you stirred the lentils in. So don’t do it.
Remove the lid, stir to combine and season to taste if necessary.
cook your preferred pasta according to package instructions or, even better, make your own fresh while the Bolognese simmers away and gets extra yummy.
Serve the Vegan Mushroom Bolognese over the cooked pasta, garnishing with fresh chopped parsley.
Enjoy your quick and delicious Vegan Mushroom Bolognese with Lentils on a busy weeknight!
Why is it important to rinse and drain your Lentils? Well this poem might explain that. Its by an Armenian poet named Zareh Yaldizciyan (Pen name Zahrad) and although a little sad and very deep if you read it consciously, on face value it reminds us to make sure to remove all the stones from your lentils.
A Woman Cleaning Lentils
by Zahrad
Published in the cookbook, Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian
A lentil, a lentil, a lentil, a stone.
A lentil, a lentil, a lentil, a stone.
A green one, a black one, a green one, a black. A stone.
A lentil, a lentil, a stone, a lentil, a lentil, a word.
Suddenly a word. A lentil.
A lentil, a word, a word next to another word. A sentence.
A word, a word, a word, a nonsense speech.
Then an old song.
Then an old dream.
A life, another life, a hard life. A lentil. A life.
An easy life. A hard life, Why easy? Why hard?
Lives next to each other. A life. A word. A lentil.
A green one, a black one, a green one, a black one, pain.
A green song, a green lentil, a black one, a stone.
A lentil, a stone, a stone, a lentil.
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