A hearty, meaty-tasting pasta sauce built on finely chopped mushrooms and green lentils. Cooked low and slow, it develops a depth that genuinely surprises people. Nobody will guess there's no meat — and nobody needs to know.
What You Need
- 2 cups cremini or portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 cup green or brown lentils
- ¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup hot water
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cans (14 oz each) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup dry red wine or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Soak porcini mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving and straining the liquid.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy pot. Cook onion until soft and lightly golden.
- Add garlic. Add fresh mushrooms and porcini — cook on high heat until all moisture evaporates and mushrooms are deeply browned.
- Add wine and reduce by half.
- Add lentils, crushed tomatoes, porcini soaking liquid, oregano, and thyme.
- Simmer covered for 30–35 minutes until lentils are completely tender.
- Uncover and cook 10 more minutes to thicken. Season very generously with salt and pepper.
Tips & Notes
- Getting the mushrooms properly browned — not steamed — is the key to the meaty quality. High heat, no crowding.
- The porcini soaking liquid is concentrated umami. Don't skip it.
#bolognese#mushroom#lentils#vegan#pasta sauce#mains
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