I was about the weirdest kid when spaghetti night rolled around. First, I went through a stage where I only ate the noodles. Mom begged me to eat the sauce, but all I wanted was a big pile of noodles completely showered with Kraft parmesan cheese. (Real fancy, I know.)
Next was the phase where all I wanted was the sauce. A complete 180. I’d plop a mere half of a serving of noodles on my plate and smother them in about a cup of the meaty bolognese sauce. Not only that, but I saved the biggest pieces of hamburger meat for last, once all of the noodles were gone and I could eat the sauce by the spoonful.
Then came the period where I just didn’t want spaghetti. I found myself more interested in unusual veggies and herbs accompanying my pasta than a plain tomato sauce, so I skipped out on those spaghetti nights.
Becoming vegan didn’t suddenly arouse any repressed hamburger-spaghetti-sauce cravings, but when I decided to make a warm pasta dish the other night, a hearty tomato sauce just sounded good. Turns out lentils are this girl’s new best friend, and I looked just like my 10-year-old self sneaking spoonfuls of sauce straight from the bowl.
Lentil Bolognese Pasta
serves 1
I found that rotini is the best pasta shape for holding onto this sauce. Although I omitted cheese, a nondairy mozzarella (or regular mozzarella or Parmesan, for you non-vegans) would make for a delicious topping.
¾ c. dry rotini
¼ c. cooked lentils
2 tbsp tomato paste
¼ – ½ tsp dried basil
salt & pepper
- Bring a small pot of water to boil on the stove. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, but reserve 2-4 tbsp of the pasta water for the sauce.
- Mix lentils, tomato paste, basil, and reserved pasta water together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Microwave for 30-45 seconds, or until hot. Spoon the Bolognese sauce over the pasta, and serve immediately.
Your stories of when you were a kid just crack me up! love it!
I’m glad somebody gets a kick out of them! Although I probably shouldn’t say I “was” a weird kid… I’m still a kid at heart!
Hi Amy,
I just recently found your website – it’s great! I only just found it and have already tried your Lentil Bolognese. I happen to not be a vegetarian nor a vegan but sometimes I just don’t want meat. This was so simple and delicious. It fit the bill perfectly for comfort food made simple and healthy.
You’re right – rotini was perfect. I used whole wheat and topped it off with some fresh parmesan. This will definitely be a regular in the rotation for those nights that I want a quick and delicious meal. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Katie
I’m so happy you enjoyed the pasta dish Katie! You found one of my first few posts from this blog… I’m amazed that people actually still read those! 😉 Although I could probably reread quite a few of them myself. I had almost forgotten about this meal and how much I enjoyed it. Thanks for the reminder!
I recently went full vegan after a year of being a strict vegetarian, and I was always that one kid who either never liked meat in anything or couldn’t get enough. A lot of my mom’s cooking is heavily meat/dairy based, so it’s often difficult finding something healthy and safe to eat as even our canned sauces contain cheese. I made this for dinner and absolutely LOVED how simple, quick and easy it was to make as well as delicious and will definitely be making it again in the future!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jaeger! That means SO much to me that you already think that you’ll make it again in the future — thank you for taking the time to me know! That made my entire day!! 🙂