If you are looking for a vegetarian alternative to a household favourite then this is the perfect recipe. Bringing together a collection of relatively inexpensive store cupboard ingredients, alongside another staple – the humble carrot – this Bolognese requires little work but seriously packs in the flavour. And of course it’s super healthy, gut-friendly and compared to its meaty cousin it comes it an a fraction of the cost.
Why Carrot and Lentil Bolognese?
My carrot and lentil Bolognese recipe is based on Lentil Bolognese from Ella Woodwards’ first cookbook and now blog ‘Deliciously Ella‘. I wanted to include it on my blog as it brings a smile to my face remembering how I started to get my two French stepsons eating more vegetables – without knowing it. The slow cooking of the Bolognese, and the melding of the ingredients, creates a delicious bowlful and is perfect for a family midweek dinner.
Packing in the vegetables, as well as lentils, its a filling, inexpensive, and very healthy alternative to the traditional beef Bolognese we all know well. Whilst I love a traditional Bolognese along with the best of them, this recipe is a fantastic vegetation alternative or simply for when you want to reduce your meat intake (and your budget) but are still looking for a hearty pasta dish.
Other carrot and lentil recipes
If you’re looking for further inspiration for carrot or lentil recipes, here are some for you to explore:
- Cod, chorizo, and lentil summer stew
- Cumin-roasted carrot and lentil salad
- Spicy coconut chicken, lentil, and vegetable traybake
- Carrot cake
- Creamy carrot and lentil soup
Growing carrots
One of the most, if not the most, important considerations when growing carrots is the soil. It needs to be light, well-drained and above all contain minimal stones. It’s important to sow as sparingly as possible in shallow drills and thin out seedlings when they appear. Baby carrots can be harvested in as little as 4-6 weeks, but larger varieties take around 3 months to mature.
Some popular varieties include: Nantes (classic sweet tasting), Chantenay (short and stubby), Autumn King (large and long), Purple Haze (striking colourful addition to the plate).
Feel free to add the flavours you and your family love to this dish. Whether it’s dried oregano, fresh basil or rosemary if you have some, any Italian flavour will complement the dish.
Absolutely. About 10 minutes before the cooking time is up, you could throw in a tin of drained and rinsed kidney beans. This would also make the dish go even further.
Totally! This mixture creates a great filling for a vegetarian lasagne. Simply replace the meat Bolognese and layer up your lasagne as normal.
Definitely! If I use up the tomatoes in the jar then I keep the oil for this dish. A great way not to waste anything and more importantly you’re using oil that is steeped in tomato flavour.
Carrot and Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large carrots
- 2 sticks of celery
- 1 large onion
- 100 g sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 800 g tinned tomatoes
- 50 g tomato purée
- 400 g tin of lentils
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp freshly basil or rosemary
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley optional to serve
- 25 g parmesan optional to serve
Instructions
- Grate the carrots coarsely, dice the celery and onion, and chop the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add all of the vegetables, together with the 3 cloves of crushed garlic, and cook over a medium heat until the onion is turning transparent – around 8-10 minutes.
- Drain the lentils in a sieve, add these to the pan together with the tomato puree, and 2 tins of tomatoes. Fill half of each of the tins of tomatoes with water and add them to the pan – swirling around so as not to miss anything in the tin.
- Mix all of this together, season well with salt and pepper, add in your chopped fresh basil or rosemary if using, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 45 mins-1 hour, stirring every now and then.
- Serve in bowls on top of your cooked pasta of choice, sprinkle over the freshly chopped parsley and parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- As Ella suggests in her cookbook Deliciously Ella, you can add in a can of drained kidney beans 10 minutes before the end of cooking to give the dish an extra protein boost.
- This mixture makes a great vegetarian alternative to a beef bolognese when making vegetarian lasagne. Simply layer up your dish as you would normally.
- If you get to the end of your sundried tomato jar, don’t throw away the oil but keep it to use to cook with in this recipe.
Really simple to make with easy-to-follow instructions. The result was delicious and our family loved it! Thanks for sharing this.