Today I have for you, The Best Ever Lentil Ragu recipe. Yes, I know, I'm 100% biased because it's my own recipe, but my friends, you have no idea. No idea until you try it anyway, then you'll know the amazingness that is this lentil ragu recipe. This vegan ragu is so hearty, rich, slightly smoky, it makes for the best (secretly pretty healthy) comfort food heaven. But it gets even better: this recipe takes just 15 minutes to make. No really, 15 MINUTES. That's it. Talk about a perfect easy weeknight meal.
My hack is using a jar of store-bought tomato sauce. Then you just cook the lentils right in the sauce so they suck up the tomato deliciousness. Stir in chopped walnuts which add to the texture and richness, and spices to take it from store-bought to OMG how in the world did you make this sauce so scrumptious?
You may have tried my Tofu Bolognese recipe before, which is one of my most favourite recipes (I'm pasta obsessed). Well, this lentil version is competing now. They are both wonderful in their own unique ways so I recommend trying both dishes to see which one you like best. Or if you are like me, then you could add both pasta recipes to the regular rotation, because can you ever have too many pasta nights? The answer is no.
To Make The Best Ever Lentil Ragu:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
Add the tomato sauce, vegetable broth, and lentils to a large skillet or saucepan. Now, I know I will be asked if you can use green or brown lentils instead of red lentils. The answer is yes, but both green and brown lentils take about 20 minutes to cook (instead of the 10 minutes red lentils take to cook), so this will no longer be a 15-minute recipe. That's why I am such a huge fan of red lentils.
Cover and bring to a simmer stirring gently every now and then. Simmer covered for about 10 minutes until the lentils are tender.
Finish the sauce by stirring in the walnuts and all of the seasonings.
You can either toss the hot pasta with the sauce or spoon the sauce over top of the pasta. Garnish with a vegan parmesan cheese (Parmegan) if desired.
Common Questions:
Can you freeze Lentil Ragu?
If placed in the freezer after cooling and kept in air-tight container, lentil ragu can be frozen and then defrosted at a later date for quick lunches or meals. If kept this way, it should last in the freezer for about 3 months.
How long does Lentil Ragu last in the fridge?
If cooled before storing in the fridge and kept in a sealed container, lentil ragu should last for approx. 5 days.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
The Best Ever Lentil Ragu!
Ingredients
For the lentil ragu:
- 1 650ml jar tomato sauce (or 3 cups homemade tomato sauce)
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup red lentils
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (gluten-free if preferred)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
For the pasta:
- 400 g spaghetti or pasta of choice (gluten-free if preferred)
- Parmegan (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Add the tomato sauce, vegetable broth, and lentils to a large skillet or saucepan. Cover and bring to a simmer stirring gently every now and then. Simmer covered for about 10 minutes until the lentils are tender.
- Finish the sauce by stirring in the walnuts and all of the seasonings. You can either toss the hot pasta with the sauce, or spoon the sauce over top of the pasta. Garnish with Parmegan if desired.
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Amanda says
Just wanted to let you know that I combined three of your recipes to prepare a lasagna: this lentil ragu layered with tofu ricotta and the melty-strechy-gooey mozzarella on top, and it turned out epic! 😀
Sam Turnbull says
amazing! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Sari says
This is absolutely divine! I quickly made my own marinara and followed your recipe. The combination of lentils,walnuts, and spices is perfection!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! SO thrilled you loved it so much, Sari 🙂
Barbara Pfieffer says
Great recipe! I didn't use walnuts cause I never use nuts, but otherwise, followed it exactly. The flavors you used are different than most but made it very tasty. I used medium shells as my pasta. Turned out great.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Barbara 🙂
Alessandra says
Hiii, here vegan recipes newbie, and I am not vegan but I am doing vegan days and I love your website!
I cooked your chili with tofu and... I fell in love!!!
Then I was looking for other recipes and I found this one. I must admit... I didn’t really followed it because, well, I am Italian and my conscience doesn’t allow me to cook ragù (this is how we call Bolognese) without the basic of ragù. Which is not meat, I mean also, but that wouldn’t be vegan...sooooo... the real must of any respectable ragù is soffritto. That is a base of celery, carrot and onion that gets cooked in olive oil at the very beginning and gives the taste to the ragù. That said I let your recipe inspire me and I did my own version of it but I’d like to thank you because I would’ve never thought of making ragù with red lentils!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you are enjoying my recipes so much, Alessandra. You might also enjoy my Tofu Bolognese recipe (or whatever you would like to call it) 😉
Jim says
Banging recipe, cheers! It comes pretty close to replicating the divine richness of ‘real’ ragu that I was so craving. I substituted your liquid smoke for smoked paprika, worked a treat.
Meredith says
Totally yummy. My 15-year-old son recently declared his intention to give up meat as a way of eating in a way t’s better for the planet, so I’ve been looking for recipes to up my veggie/vegan meal game. This was awesome. I sautéd onions, red pepper flakes and garlic first, and deglazed with red wine. I just used one teaspoon of sugar. And I’d never cooked with nutritional yeast before but I loved it. I’ll be searching for more on your site!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Meredith! I hope you enjoy many more of my recipes 🙂
Jennifer Baker says
I made this lentil ragu in the instant pot. It is delicious. 4 minutes high pressure. With quick release. Instant pot read burn! Oops! My bad was putting in the spices before the cook, instead of after. (I’m assuming that’s what went wrong, or not enough water?) I added some twirly pasta that I cooked separately. I forgot to add the walnuts, still Very yummy and easy. This recipe is a keeper, I love that lentils can be used to replace meat.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Jennifer!!
Katie says
This was delicious and so rich ! I even convinced my very picky, meat eating daughter to try it and she loved it. Yum! I added garlic, basil, and Italian seasoning. So good. Thank you !
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you loved it, Katie 🙂
Julia says
Hmmm. This cane out tasting like BBQ or maybe a sloppy joe type filling not anything like a ragu for pasta. It sure why mine didn’t come out like the others.
Sam Turnbull says
Sorry you didn't enjoy it more, Julia.
ren says
Probably because you used regular tomato sauce, which the recipe seems to call for. However, it's supposed to be tomato based marinara sauce, or as some folks call it "spaghetti sauce". Hope this helps.
Augusta Noble says
Really tasty! The liquid smoke gives it a really nice depth. I used less stock (low sodium) and still found it a little bit too salty for my tastes but I still loved it.
Sam Turnbull says
Happy you ejoyed!
Jo says
This is so good! We used to use TVP in all our pasta sauce (and loved it) but lentils make for an amazing change of flavour.
Sam, I'm only now getting around to reviewing a small handful of my favourite recipes, but my husband and I have been relying on your site more and more over the past few months. It's been literally life-changing to find all these easy, incredible recipes of yours -- thank you so much for sharing them with us. A common occurrence in our house now, come dinner time, is for one of us to be cooking and the other one to say "That smells great, who's the recipe from?" The reply is always: "who do you think?"
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's so amazing, Jo!! I'm so incredibly flattered, you totally put some extra pep in my step today. 🙂
Lucie says
Really good ! I was a little bit afraid because i never use before chili powder in a sauce. I follow exactly the recipe and i will make this recipe again. I have serve this recipe on half pasta and zuchinni noodles. I even had enough to freeze for later. I also want to add that i have tried 3 recipes of your cookbook and they are amazing too.
Sam Turnbull says
That's awesome!! Thrilled you are loving my recipes so much, Lucie 🙂
Jessie Furman says
Delicious recipe, just made it tonight! I always tinker with recipes, but only made the slightest of changes. (Add in chili powder initially with tomato sauce to allow more flavor release, and I crushed the walnuts for more consistent bite.) Very, very minor changes - great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it!
M. says
Hi, Sam! How are you? My Mom and I love watching your YouTube videos! We think you are so bubbly and joyful! This recipe looks so good! Do you know how I can make this in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot)?
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much, thrilled you love my videos so much!! 🙂 I don't actually own a pressure cooker, so I'm not really sure! Sorry I can't be more help!
Belinda says
Hi Sam,
Needed something to do with the red lentils I bought. Scrolling through your blog and saw this recipe. Got one thing to say this is really good. Just finished making it. Added garlic and dehydrated onions but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Love it. Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it, Belinda 🙂
Cristin says
Oooh garlic would be a nice addition. I loved this recipe! I have been following your blog for a few months now and love so many of your recipes. But, this one was so good I had to comment. I struggled to wait for the pasta to be done! I wanted to just eat a bowlful. I am thinking of decreasing the moisture and making this my go to Sloppy Joe mixture. Thanks for the great recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Cristin, and happy you are loving my blog so much 🙂
Katie Creek says
Just curious if it would be possible to make this without the walnuts? Not a big fan of them, but not sure how integral they are to the recipe as a whole.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Katie, absolutely. The walnuts add a bit of crunch and texture to the dish, so without them, the sauce might be lacking a little chew, but by all means, skip em if you don't like em!
Debra says
Can you make this in advance? Does it freeze/reheat ok? Many thanks
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried it myself, but my research says that lentils should freeze fine. Enjoy!
Debra says
Thank you!
Yulca says
So easy & soooooooo good! Carnivore husband basically inhaled it, too (he denies that now, but I know what I saw ;-)!). Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Bahahaha! Love it!!
Liz says
Love your site and videos! I'm looking forward to making this for dinner...what are your thoughts on using coconut sugar instead of brown?
Thank you so much.
LS
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks so much, Liz! Coconut sugar should work just fine 🙂
kd12 says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it tonight for the first time and it turned out awesome. Lots of flavor, lots of meaty texture with the walnuts and lentils. It was pretty close to a bolognese style sauce, and it came together so quickly. I make a lot of vegan meals from scratch and it can be very time consuming, so I love that this is a quick and easy meal to put on the table. My only change was to add in some Italian "sausage" I made using crumbled seasoned tofu that I baked earlier. I also loved your seasoning choices -- they really make a jarred sauce sing.
This is definitely a recipe that goes into my permanent "make again" file!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!!! SO happy you enjoyed it so much. I'm all about quick and easy recipes, jampacked full of flavour, so I hope you find more recipes to enjoy on my site 🙂
Amanda says
I love what you've done here. This is a new family go-to recipe. Yum!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled it's a new fam fave, Amanda 🙂