You will love this super versatile, easy lentil ragu. Perfect for your vegan spaghetti bolognese, cottage pie, as a filling for jacket potato and so much more. Full of whole-foods plant goodness, it's our family favourite!
When it comes to vegan comfort food that is full of plant goodness, this super easy to make lentil ragu with mushrooms and walnuts is one not to be missed.
It's filling, comforting and simply out of this world delicious!
Imagine green lentils, mushrooms, walnuts and heaps of veggies gently simmering in rich tomato sauce. Mmm!
Whether you fancy a pie, pasta or something to dress your jacket/baked potato with, this versatile vegan lentil ragu has your back!
Adored by kids and adults alike, this vegan ragu bolognese makes great family dinner staple whether you are fully plant based or are trying your best to include more meat-free options on your menu.
Lentil ragu requires perfect accompaniment. Try it with this Easy Vegan Parmesan, match made in heaven!
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✔️ Why should you try this recipe?
- Family favourite vegetarian and vegan comfort food.
- Quick and easy to make.
- Easy to adapt.
- No unusual ingredients or processed faux meat replacers.
- Full of plant based protein and with heaps of fibre.
- Very versatile - lentil spaghetti bolognese, vegan cottage pie, jacket potato and more.
- Perfect for batch cooking and great freezer staple.
- One pot wonder.
- Great as a midweek family meal.
- Cheap to make.
- Great for feeding a crowd.
🥘 Ingredients and substitutes
Green Lentils - I love using green lentils as whole-foods meat substitute due to their lovely texture with a bit of bite and meatiness to them that work really well in this vegan ragu.
They are also pretty quick to cook from dry and don't require soaking.
Quick rinse under running water to get rid of dust (and other unwanted debris if any) is all you need to do with them.
They can be substituted with brown or puy lentils.
Mushrooms - I like using chestnut mushrooms but any will do including super simple white button mushrooms.
I am the only one in our household who likes mushrooms so to make the rest of my family eat them I need to disguise them in dishes which tends to work pretty well.
I do process my mushrooms in the food processor here but feel free to chop them up by hand instead.
Walnuts - They are not only great from nutritional point of view but when processed in the food processor they add fantastic "meaty" texture to this veggie lentil ragu.
If you don't have or like walnuts, Brazil nuts would work well too.
Alternatively, especially when in need of nut-free option, simply increase the amount of mushrooms and leave nuts out altogether.
Onions, Celery, Carrots - Base of aromatics for our ragu which is also called soffritto or even referred to as "holy trinity" in Italian cooking.
Garlic - More flavour. I like to use fresh garlic here but garlic powder can be used instead.
Broccoli Stalks (Optional) - In our house we eat broccoli like it's going out of fashion and we usually have plenty of broccoli stalks in our veggie drawer.
One way to try and make the good use of them is to add them (finely chopped) to stews, soups (try this Broccoli Stalk Soup) and sauces.
You could of course leave it out or substitute with some kale stalks instead.
***TIP*** Outer skin on broccoli stalk is pretty woody so make sure to cut it off before using in your cooking.
Extra Veg (Optional) - If you want to add even more veggies to your vegan ragu, feel free to go for it. Any root veggies like celeriac, parsnip or even sweet potatoes would work nicely here.
You could also stir in some spinach (once ragu is off the heat to allow it to wilt in residual heat), curly kale or cavolo nero (for the last 5-8 minutes of cooking) for that extra green nutrition.
Tinned chopped tomatoes - You could use any type you want. Tinned plum or cherry tomatoes would work nicely too.
if you use flavoured tinned tomatoes make sure you bear that in mind when adding your herbs and other flavourings.
Tomato puree (paste) - For that rich, tomatoey flavour.
Miso Paste - I like to add it for that bit of delicious umami flavour. I really like and Yutaka Organic Miso Paste which is widely available in the supermarkets here in the UK.
You could substitute it with a touch of marmite or splash of vegan Worcestershire sauce.
Mixed Herbs - I like to use dried mixed herbs here for convenience and also because I do like the flavour.
Feel free to substitute with single dried herbs of your choice instead. Thyme, rosemary and oregano will work particularly well.
You can also use fresh herbs of choice if you want.
Soy sauce or gluten-free Tamari - Perfect seasoning and extra flavour enhancer.
Veggie stock cube or powder - I tend to use Kallo Vegetable or Umami stock cubes (widely available in the UK) but you could use your favourite veggie stock/ bouillon cubes/powder instead.
🍽 Equipment
Food processor - Not essential but really handy as there is fair bit of chopping to do.
Especially useful for chopping mushrooms and walnuts to desired consistency.
Good Chef's Knife - Essential for all that chopping especially when using food processor is not an option.
Cast Iron Shallow Round Casserole - Perfect for ragu style sauces although do make sure to use bigger one if doubling the recipe.
Wooden Spoon - My favourite utensil to help you will all the mixing. Cheap and cheerful too!
💭 Pro Tips
- Make sure you have all the ingredients chopped and ready to go before you start cooking. It will make cooking process so much smoother.
- Use food processor to chop your veggies if you can. Chop them nice and fine but do be careful not to process them into complete mush.
- I like to process mushrooms and walnuts together into crumble like consistency or give them a good chop with a knife. Feel free to chop mushrooms into chunkier pieces if you like but do chop walnuts pretty fine to help with that bolognese texture of your ragu.
- Make sure to give lentils a good rinse to get rid of all the dust.
- Check the ragu from time to time as it cooks, give it a stir and add a splash of stock or water if it looks a bit dry.
- If you've got time make it ahead and allow all the gorgeous flavours to mingle. No worries if it's not an option as it tastes delicious on the day you make it too!
🥡 Storing
Lentil ragu is perfect for making ahead as it does get even tastier the following day.
Once cooled it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
It's super easy to reheat either in the microwave or in a pan with a touch of extra stock/water if required.
❄️ Freezing
This mushroom and lentil ragu makes fantastic vegetarian and vegan freezer staple!
I almost always cook double batch and pop portions in the freezer for those busy times when cooking is the last thing you want to do!
To freeze, ensure your lentil ragu is cooled completely and portion it as per your needs.
Use any freezer friendly glass/plastic containers or even reusable ziplock style bags which you can wash and reuse again and again. The bags are really good if you've got limited freezer space.
Once frozen, store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ideally, defrost it in the fridge overnight but if you get caught out and forget (we've all been there) you can do it gently in the pan on the hob or in the microwave (providing the container you froze it in allows it).
🍴 Serving suggestions
Our favourite way of serving this lentil ragu is as vegan spaghetti bolognese with a side of homemade vegan garlic bread. As you can imagine, it's always a huge hit with the kids! Of course feel free to use any type of pasta you want, it doesn't have to be spaghetti.
Serve it over jacket/baked potato. Simple, filling and delicious! Add the side of cavolo nero with chilli, garlic and crispy capers and you really can't go wrong.
Vegan cottage pie anyone? Use ragu as you pie filling, cover with regular or sweet potato mash, sprinkle some vegan cheese et voila!
Vegan nachos. Might not be super authentic but it works a treat and again, kids love it!
You can also serve it simply with mash, chips or wedges and it goes really well with my baked polenta chips.
Even though it might sounds a bit odd, this lentil ragu goes well with a side of brown rice and my easy flatbreads.
❓ FAQs
Yes it is providing you use tamari instead of regular soy sauce and check label on your miso paste and veggie stock too.
For gluten-free vegan spaghetti bolognese ensure you use gluten-free pasta.
Yes you can! Simply substitute walnuts with extra mushrooms or some cauliflower which when processed in the food processor into consistency of 'rice' has got very similar texture to walnuts.
Yes you can.
You would need approx. 1.5 tin lentils but feel free to use less or more. Make sure to rinse your drained lentils before adding to the ragu.
Cooking time will be reduced as lentils have already been cooked but you will definitely want to reduce the liquid down by simmering your ragu uncovered until it reaches desired consistency. I would also recommend using less water when rinsing your tomato tins.
🔪 How to make lentil ragu?
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Prepare all the ingredients and chop all the vegetables as instructed in the recipe card below.
Process mushrooms and walnuts together in food processor until they resemble crumble like mixture. In the absence of food processor feel free to chop them with a knife.
In a large casserole heat up couple of tablespoon of oil.
Add finely chopped onion, garlic, celery, carrots and broccoli stalk (if using) and saute until nicely softened 5-8 minutes.
Next, add finely chopped mushroom/walnut mixture, tomato puree, miso and dried mixed herbs.
Give it all a good mix and add dried lentils followed immediately by two tins of chopped tomatoes and a stock cube/powder.
Fill both empty tomato tins with water (¾ full) and add it too.
Stir it well to ensure all the ingredients are nicely incorporated.
Bring ragu to boil, cover and simmer stirring from time to time for approximately 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
Feel free to add more water/stock if ragu seems a bit dry.
Once lentils are tender add soy sauce or tamari and stir it in.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and you are ready to serve.
Enjoy!
Have you tried my Easy Lentil Ragu?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
😋 Some more recipes you might enjoy
📋 Recipe
Lentil Ragu (Vegan)
Equipment
- 1 Large Cast Iron Round Casserole Pan, 26 cm* better when batch cooking
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon rapeseed/olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped/minced
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped
- 2 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
- 1-2 broccoli stalks (optional) woody outer skin cut off, finely chopped
- 150 g dried green lentils rinsed, see notes
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms chopped really finely or left chunkier, you choose
- 100 g walnuts finely chopped, see notes
- 2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon miso paste any type of miso paste will do
- 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs or your choice of herbs, fresh herbs will work too
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari or to taste
- 1 veggie stock cube or bouillon powder
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients and chop all the vegetables as per above.
- Process mushrooms and walnuts together in the food processor until they resemble crumble like mixture. If you don't have food processor you can chop them with a knife. Feel free to chop mushrooms really fine or leave them a bit chunkier, it's up to you.
- In a large casserole heat up couple of tablespoon of oil.
- Add finely chopped onion, garlic, celery, carrots and broccoli stalk (if using) and saute until nicely softened 5-8 minutes.
- Next, add finely chopped mushroom/walnut mixture, tomato puree, miso and dried mixed herbs.
- Give it all a good mix and add dried lentils followed immediately by two tins of chopped tomatoes and a stock cube/powder.
- Fill both empty tomato tins with water (¾ full) and add it too.
- Stir it well to ensure all the ingredients are nicely incorporated.
- Bring ragu to boil, cover and simmer stirring from time to time for approximately 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Feel free to add more water/stock if ragu seems a bit dry.
- Once lentils are tender add soy sauce or tamari and stir it in.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper or more soy sauce/tamari and you are ready to serve.
- Enjoy with spaghetti, over jacket/baked potato, with mash, rice or in a pie!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 6 servings) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- Green lentils can be substituted with brown or puy lentils.
- I like to chop my walnuts really finely in a food processor together with mushrooms so that they resemble crumble like consistency which adds great texture to this meatless lentil ragu. Feel free to chop walnuts with a knife if you don't have food processor.
- For more detailed nites on ingredients and possible substitutions see Ingredients and substitutes.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer friendly (for more details see Freezing).
- Make sure you have all the ingredients chopped and ready to go before you start cooking. It will make cooking process so much smoother.
- Use food processor to chop your veggies if you can. Chop them nice and fine but do be careful not to process them into complete mush.
- I like to process mushrooms and walnuts together into crumble like consistency or give them a good chop with a knife. Feel free to chop mushrooms into chunkier pieces if you like but do chop walnuts pretty fine to help with that bolognese texture of your ragu.
- Make sure to give lentils a good rinse to get rid of all the dust.
- Check the ragu from time to time as it cooks, give it a stir and add a splash of stock or water if it looks a bit dry.
- If you've got time make it ahead and allow all the gorgeous flavours to mingle. No worries if it's not an option as it tastes delicious on the day you make it too!
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