Easy Vegan Lentil Bolognese Salad

This easy vegan lentil bolognese salad is delicious whether you’re serving hot or cold. It’s loaded with plant protein and you need only one pan, so what can be better than that on a busy day!

As empty nesters I now cook for only two, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s necessary to cook small! In fact, I prefer to make a couple of large batches of multifunctional dishes in one afternoon. Most weeks that involves grilling a couple of pans full of delicious vegetables and roasting them with spices. They will serve us well several nights a week over rice or pasta or to wrap in spring rolls. I also cook up some of my WALNUT BURGERS and have them for lunch or dinner. And then there are batches of beans, which I roast in the air fryer for a nice crispness. My current favorite brand of pasta is the healthy BANZA (you are welcome!).

Banza is “powered by chickpeas” (haha, love that!) and it comes in all of the usual types like spaghetti, shells and more. Chickpeas are filled with good protein and topped with lentils they are a powerhouse. Cook up a batch of this pasta and eat the leftovers cold the next day and create a pasta salad. In this recipe for easy lentil bolognese salad I made it specifically to eat cold for lunch.

The ingredients for the lentil bolognese salad are easy to keep on hand so you can make it on a moment’s notice. Keep red lentils in the pantry at all times and you’ll be surprised how often you use them! I’m going to share a soup dish that is my daughter’s recipe made with red lentils soon. Other panty staples here are jarred marinara ( I like Raos) sauce and dried spices. Produce items are baby carrots, onion and garlic. Easy and simple!

If you’ve never cooked red lentils before you’ll be surprised at how quickly they cook up. Plus they don’t get mushy, as do some of the other lentil varieties.

The bolognese has a meaty texture with the lentils and you’ll never miss that meat! I served it here over brown rice pasta as a cold salad and the next day we enjoyed the sauce over the Banza shells. With a loaf of crusty French bread to go along, it’s so yummy and good for you as well. If you make this easy lentil bolognese salad please let me know!

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Easy Vegan Lentil Bolognese Salad

This easy vegan lentil bolognese salad is delicious whether you’re serving hot or cold. It’s loaded with plant protein and you need only one pan, so what can be better than that on a busy day!

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine Italian

Keyword lentil, vegan

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Large Pan

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup regular or baby carrots
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup dry red lentils
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white wine optional
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• 1 tsp dry basil

Instructions

• Using your food processor, pulse until the onion and garlic are cut into small pieces.
• Set aside the onion and garlic mixture.
• In the same food processor add the carrots and pulse into small pieces. Substitute with shredded carrots if desired.
• Heat water in a large fry pan for a couple of minutes and carefully add the onion and garlic mixture.
• Cook for about 3 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
• Add the carrots and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
• Let the mixture come to a boil then turn the heat down to a low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are completely cooked. If the mixture gets dry before it’s done you can add more wine or water.
• Serve hot or cold with any pasta of your choice, or over rice or zucchini noodles. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan cheese when serving for extra flavor. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro.

Notes

This stores well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so make a big batch and learn how versatile this dish is!

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