This vegan bolognese gets its rich, deeply savory flavor from mushrooms, lentils, and walnuts simmered in red wine and tamari–no ground beef required! I’ll even show you my tried and true method for cutting the spaghetti squash so you can roast up ribbons that mimic pasta strands. Stick with me and you too can have a homemade, naturally gluten-free satisfying plant based main dish like this that everyone can enjoy.
Ingredient Notes
- Lentils, mushrooms and walnuts: winning combo for vegan umami satisfaction in texture and taste. The key is using red lentils because they’ll cook more quickly than black, brown or green….and fall apart in a way that’s just right!
- Onions, carrots, celery, garlic: build better flavor from scratch! Shredded carrots are masterful in bringing in more texture too.
- Red wine: Traditional bolognese calls for red wine to build flavor without additional salt or fat. The alcohol burns off and leaves a concentrated balance of sweet and savory. If you don’t use alcohol, substitute with tomato juice, plus a teaspoon of vegan worcestershire.
Spaghetti Squash Step by Step
The first thing you’ll want to do is prep the spaghetti squash to release some of the moisture so you’ll wind up with long strings that resemble angel hair pasta.
Use a sharp knife to cut into 1-2″ horizontal rings. Cutting horizontally, rather than vertically will get you those long, tender al dente noodles.
Go back and cut out the stringy, seedy center so you have donut shaped rings that are empty in the middle.
Lay spaghetti squash rings on a kitchen towel and sprinkle with kosher salt to draw out the moisture. Leave these to sit for 15-20 minutes, then use a paper towel to brush off the salt and water that has accumulated before roasting.
Step by Step Vegan Bolognese
While the squash sits to sweat, you can make the sauce. Gather your ingredients and chop all veggies. Dice the onion, shred the carrot and cut celery into small dice. Mince garlic or use a microplane to zest it. Mushrooms should be diced small. Finely chop the walnuts, or use a spice grinder to make this job easier.
Saute onions, celery and carrots in a cast iron skillet until translucent.
Mix in garlic and spices, stirring constantly so garlic doesn’t burn.
Stir in mushrooms and continue to cook until they soften and their juices have released.
Then mix in the rinsed red lentils and walnuts.
Use the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up bits that have become stuck.
Then stir in the diced tomatoes with juices, almond milk and tamari.
Stir well. Bring to a boil, lower heat and add bay leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally, scraping bottom of pan.
After 15 minutes, add ½ cup water, stir well and continue to cook at a low simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, go back to the squash rings that had been salted and left to sit.
Use a paper towel to wipe off the salt and any moisture that has accumulated. Place on parchment lined baking sheet, in a single layer. Use 2 trays if necessary.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated 425 oven for 25 minutes, until tender but not mushy.
Use two forks to pull the spaghetti strands from the squash skin. It should pull away easily and remain intact, looking like angel hair pasta. Continue until all rings have been pulled from their skins. Plate the squash on a serving platter or on individual plates, ready to add the sauce.
Remove bay leaves from the red lentil bolognese. Serve chunky, as is. OR use an immersion blender to partially puree to create more of a vegan ragu sauce.
Place spaghetti squash on a plate and top with bolognese. You can do this on a large serving platter or individual plates.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- It’s worth the extra minute to salt the squash rings to draw out the moisture. This step is crucial to make sure your “pasta” isn’t soggy.
- Play around with the texture of the bolognese. I like mine with a varied texture and do use the immersion blender to make it partially creamy and somewhat chunky. The sauce will splatter and make a mess if your pan doesn’t have high enough sides….so you may want to transfer a portion to the blender, puree and then mix back in.
- Store leftover spaghetti squash separately from the vegan bolognese. Mix when ready to reheat. This also gives you the option to put a different sauce like my mushroom stroganoff onto the squash instead.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Mushroom Lentil Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash (GF)
Ingredients
Spaghetti Squash
- 1 Spaghetti Squash medium sized
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Vegan Bolognese Sauce
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1 stalk celery small dice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups assorted mushrooms diced
- 1 cup red lentils rinsed well and picked over
- ¾ cup finely chopped walnuts
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoon Tamari
- 2 Bay Leaves
Instructions
Spaghetti Squash
- Slice squash horizontally into 1-2" rings. They'll look like donuts after you scoop out the seeds. Place squash rings on a kitchen towel, spread into one layer and sprinkle with coarse salt. The salt will draw out the water in the squash, so leave them to sweat.
- Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a paper towel to brush off the salt and any liquid that has accumulated on the squash rings. Place on prepared baking pan in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. See NOTES if you're not using any oil. Roast in preheated 425 oven for 25 minutes.
- While your squash rings are roasting, you can start the sauce.
- When squash rings are tender, use two forks to pull the spaghetti strands away from the edges and onto a serving platter.
Bolognese Sauce
- In a large skillet, saute onion in olive oil or veggie broth on medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent. Add in garlic, carrots, celery and dried spices. Cook for 3 minutes and then add in the mushrooms. Continue to stir and cook until mushrooms soften and release their juices, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lentils and walnuts, and mix well. Then add the wine to deglaze the skillet, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom. Pour in the tomatoes, milk and tamari and mix well. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Lower the sauce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes
- Stir well, after the first 15 minutes are up, add ½ cup water and stir again. Cook for another 15 minutes over low heat. stirring occasionally to be sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- When all is tender, remove the bay leaves and assess for chunkiness. If you prefer a smoother sauce, puree some with an immersion blender or transfer a portion to a regular blender and then add back to the pot of sauce and mix well.
- Ladle sauce onto prepared spaghetti squash and serve warm. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, crushed red pepper and some nutritional yeast, if desired.
Notes
Meal Prep and Storage
- SERVE: Plate spaghetti squash and ladle on the bolognese. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, crushed red pepper and nutritional yeast.
- PREP AHEAD: Vegan Bolognese Sauce can be made in advance and stored in the fridge. Spaghetti squash is best prepared just before serving.
- STORE: Spaghetti squash will stay good in the fridge, stored by itself for 3 days. Sauce will stay good in the fridge for 5 days.
- FREEZE: Be sure sauce is totally cool before transferring to containers. It will stay good in the freezer for 3 months. Spaghetti squash doesn’t freeze well.
- REHEAT: Preheat oven to 350. Reheat for 15 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Julia
I LOVE bolognese, love that this is over spaghetti squash so it’s lower on carbs.
Carmy
I love how delicious and hearty this is!
Sue
I love spaghetti squash and using this bolognese makes it even better! My new go-to!
Lindsay Howerton-Hastings
This is so cozy for winter, can’t wait to make again!
Amanda
I love that you’ve made bolognese sauce with mushrooms and lentils! So hearty, satisfying, and good for you. Lentils are one of my favorite staples in my pantry – they’re just so versatile and delicious! Such a great idea to serve this over spaghetti squash. We just bought some at the market yesterday, and this will be a great way to prepare it!
Amanda
I love that you’ve made bolognese sauce with mushrooms and lentils! So hearty, satisfying, and good for you. Lentils are one of my favorite staples in my pantry – they’re just so versatile and delicious! Such a great idea to serve this over spaghetti squash. We just bought some at the market yesterday, and this will be a great way to prepare it!
Debra Klein
Thank you! Lentils are a pantry staple for us as well. This dish is so nutritious and satisfying…..enjoy!
Dana
Now THIS is a bolognese I can get down with. Despite the fact that I’m not vegan and eat beef here and here, meaty bolognese sauce is something that has always made my stomach turn. I love the idea of a heartier sauce, but a legit bolognese just didn’t agree with me. This recipe is a great solution—still hearty, and easy on my belly. I love the addition of walnuts!
Dana
Now THIS is a bolognese I can get down with. Despite the fact that I’m not vegan and eat beef here and here, meaty bolognese sauce is something that has always made my stomach turn. I love the idea of a heartier sauce, but a legit bolognese just didn’t agree with me. This recipe is a great solution—still hearty, and easy on my belly. I love the addition of walnuts!
Debra Klein
Exactly the profile I created this recipe for. I have often had that same turned stomach and I just feel satisfied and good after eating this. Enjoy.
Stef
I grew up with cold winters and I still can’t get used to them. We are trying to eat more an more veggies and I love this twist on bolognese. I can’t wait to try it. Really any excuse for me to buy squash in the fall makes me happy. 🙂
Stef
I grew up with cold winters and I still can’t get used to them. We are trying to eat more an more veggies and I love this twist on bolognese. I can’t wait to try it. Really any excuse for me to buy squash in the fall makes me happy. 🙂
Debra Klein
Glad to know I’m not alone on this winter thing….I find this warm and hearty bolognese that sticks to the bones does help.
Sean@Diversivore
I’m always eager to try out a new meatless meat sauce (especially since my pregnant wife is on and off with meat lately). Walnuts are definitely something I forget to incorporate. I love how nutrient dense and healthy this is!
Sean@Diversivore
I’m always eager to try out a new meatless meat sauce (especially since my pregnant wife is on and off with meat lately). Walnuts are definitely something I forget to incorporate. I love how nutrient dense and healthy this is!
Debra Klein
Your pregnant wife is lucky to have you looking out for her….walnuts are full of omega 3s and folate….all great for a pregnant woman (and the rest of us too!).
Annemarie
Maybe this will be the year you get used to the New England winters. Probably not though, since I’ve been here my whole life and I’m still not used to them. 🙂 However, some comforting ‘meaty’ vegan bolognese over spaghetti squash can certainly help us face those cold, dark days with fortitude. Thanks for sharing!
Annemarie
Maybe this will be the year you get used to the New England winters. Probably not though, since I’ve been here my whole life and I’m still not used to them. 🙂 However, some comforting ‘meaty’ vegan bolognese over spaghetti squash can certainly help us face those cold, dark days with fortitude. Thanks for sharing!
Debra Klein
Haha…I doubt winter will ever sit well with me. Maybe if it was shorter? Meantime I’m going to keep a pot of cozy on the stove.
Debra Klein
Exactly. It all adds up for that irresistible flavor. The walnuts add some texture…just be sure you chop them finely, or they will be a little too crunchy. Total comfort food, without the food coma afterwards.
Debra Klein
I hear ya! This sauce is so tasty that you can easily sneak things in…and my kids do enjoy the spaghetti squash.
Carmy
This looks so good! I love the swap of spaghetti squash instead of regular spaghetti as it decreases the calorie content. I also love the inclusion of lentils to “beef” it up without the meat!
Carmy
This looks so good! I love the swap of spaghetti squash instead of regular spaghetti as it decreases the calorie content. I also love the inclusion of lentils to “beef” it up without the meat!
Debra Klein
Every little swap adds up (actually reduces the calories)! Still delicious while adding so much nutrition!
Traci
Wow, the lentils are unexpected, yet sound perfect for this! Best part is, I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand, for the win 🙂 Now that spaghetti squash is everywhere, this recipe is perfect. Thanks for sharing with us!
Traci
Wow, the lentils are unexpected, yet sound perfect for this! Best part is, I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand, for the win 🙂 Now that spaghetti squash is everywhere, this recipe is perfect. Thanks for sharing with us!
Debra Klein
I know…a pantry forage meal for sure!
Tracy Koslicki
Satisfying and healthy? That’s usually my biggest battle when I eat healthy – it never really fills me up. But with lentils, I think this’ll do the trick! It’s perfect for my toddler to get extra veggies in her!
Lisa
My family always loves a good bolognese — and though we are meat eaters, we enjoy trying all types of food. I love this lightened up bolognese with the lentils — that makes so much sense — but the walnuts really intrigue me in this recipe, as does the tamari. I wouldn’t normally associate that with bolognese — but I’m guessing it just adds that umami flavor, right? This sounds like a really great option for a lightened up comfort food meal.
Gloria
This is similar to a post I did last week…and it looks delicious too. Lots of flavour and nutrition in this….and the meat lovers will love it too. Spaghetti squash is the most fun squash of all.
Debra Klein
Right….super fun….and so tasty!
Tina
What a wonderful vegan bolognese that is packed full of flavor and depth! I’ve served this over collard greens but spaghetti squash is definitely classic! I know I’ll be ready for cool weather this season with such a wonderful comfort food dish!
Debra Klein
Would love to try this over greens….great idea!
Tina
I love the four seasons. As one is ending, there is something special about the next one. I just wish our Winters weren’t so long here. Your vegan bolognese looks so comforting right now. I think it’s the perfect Fall meal. Definitely going to have to make this.
Debra Klein
I’m with you with a vote for a shorter winter! Meantime, we can comfort ourselves with a big bowl of vegan bolognese!