Rich and hearty, this Vegan Bolognese will make your forget all about the original. Nutritionally dense, made with lentils, mushrooms and walnuts.
I rarely eat bolognese sauce. I used to when I was little but as I grew up I noticed that I don't feel very good after eating pasta bolognese. Or lasagne with a classic bolognese sauce for that matter.
I think it's the combination of pasta and meat that doesn't really suit me and that's probably why all the pasta I've eaten in the past 10 or so years has been with vegetable based sauces.
But I have seen numerous ideas for vegetarian and vegan bolognese sauces and recently felt the need to try one myself.
My first attempt at a vegan bolognese sauce was a really successful one so I decided to stick with that recipe version and share it with you.
The best part is that it has these wonderful veggies blended into a delicious sauce that is a great essential nutrient source for your kids.
And you can freeze it in batches and take out on those hectic days when there's just no time to cook a decent meal.
We have even given this to our meat loving friends and they loved it (and that made me very proud).
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Nutrition And Ingredients
Onion
- You can use a classic medium-sized onion here. I used a red onion but you can use whichever you have on hand.
- Onions are a very good source of manganese and vitamin C as well as chromium
Mushrooms
- I used a mix of different type of mushrooms for this sauce as those were the ones available to me but you can use any kind you like or mix them up like I did
- Mushrooms are a great source of selenium, copper, potassium and phosphorus as well as B vitamins
Carrots
- If you don't have organic carrots, make sure to peel them before chopping them up and adding them to the blender
- Great source of the vitamins A and K as well as carotenoids which are great phytonutrients. They are also a decent source of fiber as well as the vitamin C
Celery Sticks
- I used celery sticks for the sauce as they are easier to blend and have a less intense aroma than the celery root. They are also more widely available.
- Celery is an excellent source of the vitamins C and K as well as a very good source folate, potassium and fiber
Olive Oil
- Use extra-virgin olive oil if possible
- Olive oil is a great source of calories and "healthy" fats which can protect the cardio-vascular system
Walnuts
- You can use either ground or whole walnuts here because they'll be going into the blender with the veggies anyway
- A great source of healthy fats, calories and vitamin E
Tomato Sauce
- Use canned or homemade
- Tomatoes are a great source of vitamins C and K as well as a specific nutrient called lycopene which is an antioxidant which can be beneficial to the cardiovascular system
Red Lentil
- Out of all the lentils I find red lentils to be the best ones to use in sauces like these since they soften the quickest and turn into a kind of a puree
- Lentils are a good source of protein and a very good source of fiber as well as folate
Spices
- I used a mix of basil, oregano and then mixed Italian herbs (that had marjoram, thyme, sage, rosemary). Basil and oregano I find important and if you have the Italian herbs then that is a great addition
- I also used ½ tsp of chilli flakes just to give the recipe a touch of spice, just enough for babies/toddlers to tolerate and to make a difference to the recipe
From What Age Can I Give This To My Child?
- As soon as you are ready to give your child pasta, so I would say after they are ready for pincer grasp. And don't coat the pasta too much in it because it will become very messy
- For babies under 1 avoid salt in this recipe
How To Make
- Prepare the first veggie mixture. Peel and slice the onions into larger bits. Wash and slice the mushrooms into larger pieces. Put the onions and mushrooms into a blender, add the walnuts and blend until you have tiny bits. Transfer to a bowl.
- Prepare the second veggie mixture. Wash and peel the carrots if necessary and cut into chunks. Wash the celery sticks and cut into smaller bits. Put the carrots and celery sticks into a blender and blend until you have tiny bits.
- Heat the veggies. Put the olive oil into a deeper pan or a pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion-mushroom-walnut mixture to the pan/pot and simmer for about 5 minutes making sure to scrape the bottom so that it doesn't burn. If needed add about ¼ cup (50 ml) water. After about 5 minutes add the carrot-celery mixture and mix.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the tomato sauce, red lentils and water and bring to a boil. Add the spices (salt, pepper, sweetener and spices) and lower the heat.
- Cook. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat.
- Finalize. After about 30 minutes check if the sauce has thickened and if needed remove the lid and simmer without it for another 5 minutes until the water has evaporated and until you have reached the desired thickness of your sauce.
Tips And Tricks For The Perfect Bolognese
Blend your ingredients well. If you want a classic bolognese consistency sauce, you really need to blend your ingredients (veggies) really well so that you have tiny bits and pieces for cooking. This is best done in a classic blender.
Know your sauce thickness. I prefer to have a thick bolognese sauce but I do know people who like it a little more liquidy. That's why after the sauce has been cooking for about 30 minutes you can check it and see if you want it to reduce some more by removing the lid and continuing to simmer or you are fine with the consistency as is.
Cook over low-to-medium heat. Don't add the veggies while your pan/pot is on high heat. I actually wouldn't even recommend that you heat it over high heat but rather medium heat. The reason for this is that if you add the veggies to a really heated pan they will simply burn from the outside.
How To Serve To Babies And Toddlers?
- 9 months old+ (or whenever ready for pincer grasp)
- Use penne rather than spaghetti because it is easier to cut up into bite size pieces and for the baby to pick up
- Coat in a small amount of bolognese so it is easy to pick up
- Serve with some cut up cucumber and cherry tomatoes
- Mentally prepare yourself for the clean up
- Toddlers
- Serve the same as for parents with some cut up cucumber on the side and give them a fork
FAQ and Variations
Can I use different nuts other than walnuts? You can use any other nut of choice. Almonds, hazelnuts, even cashews are a really good choice. Just make sure they are raw and unsalted.
More Like This
Recipe
Red Lentil Baby Bolognese with Vegetables
EQUIPMENT
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 10.5 oz mushrooms
- 1.7 oz walnuts
- 4 medium carrots
- 4 medium celery stick
- ⅕ cup olive oil
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 3.5 oz red lentils
- 1 tsp date syrup (or agave syrup or sugar) - optional
Bolognese herbs and spices
- salt omit for babies under 1
- pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp mixed Italian herbs optional (thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary)
- ½ tsp chilli flakes optional
Instructions
- Prepare the first veggie mixture. Peel and slice the onions into larger chunks. Wash and slice the mushrooms into larger pieces. Put the onions and mushrooms into a blender, add the walnuts and blend until you have tiny bits. Transfer to a bowl.
- Prepare the second veggie mixture. Wash and peel the carrots if necessary and cut into chunks. Wash the celery sticks and cut into chunks. Put the carrots and celery sticks into a blender and blend until you have tiny bits.
- Heat the first vegetable mixture. Put the olive oil into a deeper pan or a pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion-mushroom-walnut mixture to the pan/pot and simmer for about 5 minutes making sure to scrape the bottom so that it doesn't burn. If needed add about ¼ cup (50 ml) water.
- Add the second vegetable mixture. After about 5 minutes add the carrot-celery mixture and sauté.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the tomato sauce, red lentils and water and bring to a boil. Add the spices (salt, pepper, optional sweetener and spices) and lower the heat.
- Cook. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat.
- Finalize. After about 30 minutes check if the sauce has thickened and if needed remove the lid and simmer without it for another 5 minutes until the water has evaporated and until you have reached the desired thickness of your sauce.
- Serve with wholewheat spaghetti, fussili or any kind of pasta you have on hand. For serving options based on age, see below.
Notes
- Sauce thickness: If the bolognese sauce is not thick enough for you after it has been cooking for about 30 minutes you can reduce some more by removing the lid and continuing to simmer.
- Serving baby-led weaning: serve with wholewheat spaghetti and let baby grab by themselves. You will need a good full arms bib or have the baby just in a diaper as it will get messy. Serve with cucumber spears that the baby can easily grab
- Serve to 9 months old + baby: to practice pincer grasp use penne rather than spaghetti because it is easier to cut up into bite-size pieces and for the baby to pick up. Coat in a small amount of bolognese so it is easy to pick up and serve with some cucumber and cherry tomatoes cut up the size of a pinky fingernail.
- Serve to toddlers and picky eaters: for toddlers serve the same as for parents with some cut-up cucumber on the side and give them a fork that they can practice using. For picky eaters, serve the plain pasta on one side, the bolognese mixture on the other, and the cucumber separate
- If making for adults and older kids: you can add more salt and more chili flakes if needed.
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