Recipe Lentil Ragu

Lentil Ragu

Source

https://lovingitvegan.com/lentil-ragu/

Ingredients

Ragu Sauce

• 30ml olive oil (2 Tbsp)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
• 240g cremini mushrooms, quartered (~2½ cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 200g dried red lentils (~1 cup)
• 240ml red wine (~1 cup)
• 800g canned crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
• 240ml vegan beef stock or vegetable stock (1 cup)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 30g light brown sugar or coconut sugar (2 Tbsp)
• 120ml canned coconut cream, unsweetened (~½ cup) — or full-fat coconut milk

Pasta

• 450g pappardelle pasta, dry weight (~16 oz) — or any pasta shape

Serving

• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Vegan parmesan cheese (Violife recommended, or homemade)

Instructions

1. Prep mushrooms: Add quartered mushrooms to food processor with S blade. Pulse until finely chopped (not paste). Scrape sides as needed.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook ~5 minutes until onion softens.
3. Add chopped mushrooms. Cook ~5 minutes until mushrooms release most of their water.
4. Add garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, and red lentils. Gently mix. Cook ~1 minute until garlic is fragrant.
5. Add red wine. Cook ~1 minute until mostly evaporated.
6. Add crushed tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, soy sauce, salt, and bay leaf. Mix well.
7. Bring to gentle simmer. Simmer ~30 minutes until lentils are cooked. Stir regularly — thick sauce, can burn. Add stock/water if too thick.
8. While sauce simmers, cook pasta per package instructions. Drain, rinse, set aside.
9. After ~30 min, remove bay leaf. Add coconut cream and brown sugar. Stir. Simmer a few more minutes for flavors to blend.
10. Taste and adjust salt/pepper.
11. Fold cooked pasta gently into ragu sauce.
12. Serve topped with fresh parsley and grated vegan parmesan.

Tips & Notes

• Serves ~6 as a main.
• Red lentils only — other lentil colors need longer cooking time.
• Red wine adds depth — alcohol cooks off. Sub with extra stock if preferred.
• Vegan beef stock recommended for richness. Better Than Bouillon No Beef works well. Vegetable stock is fine substitute.
• Coconut cream = unsweetened canned. Full-fat coconut milk also works. Don’t use light/low-fat.
• Pappardelle is ideal — wide strands hold thick sauce. Any pasta works.
• Better the next day — make sauce ahead, refrigerate, reheat low, then add pasta.
• Keeps 4–5 days fridge. Freeze sauce (without pasta) 3 months. Thaw overnight, reheat, add fresh pasta.
• Gluten-free: Use tamari + GF pasta.
• Don’t leave unattended while simmering — thick + sticky = burn risk.

Tags

recipe, vegan, pasta, sauce, ragu, main, make-ahead, italian