The Best Ever Lentil Ragu
This easy vegan pasta takes just 15 minutes to make! Vegetarian ragu recipe is hearty, rich, slightly smoky, and makes for the perfect weeknight meal.
This easy vegan pasta takes just 15 minutes to make! Vegetarian ragu recipe is hearty, rich, slightly smoky, and makes for the perfect weeknight meal.
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 650ml jar tomato sauce (or 3 cups homemade toma
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce ((gluten-free if preferred))
- 400 g spaghetti or pasta of choice ((gluten-free if pre
- parmegan ((optional))
- Carbohydrate 46.3019241639943 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 9.92089500054441 g
- Fiber 21.1260250328654 g
- Protein 23.396357504524 g
- Saturated Fat 0.672827250070418 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - 6 serving (278g)
- Sodium 235.804583337197 mg
- Sugar 25.1758991311289 g
- Trans Fat 1.1329875001696 g
- Calories 353 calories
Step-by-step
- 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.
Standard ingredient lists omit the physical behavior of dry pulses simmered directly in acidic tomato bases. Red lentils soften rapidly, but prolonged contact with high-acid environments before they absorb sufficient liquid can leave them stubbornly chalky at the center. Simmering the legumes covered for exactly ten minutes in a mixture of vegetable broth and strained tomatoes ensures they break down enough to mimic the texture of minced meat without requiring a separate boiling step.
Adapting this dish for specific dietary parameters requires understanding how individual components function structurally. Walnuts provide the necessary lipid content and crunch to simulate the mouthfeel of traditional meat sauces, though finely minced cremini mushrooms can replace them at a one-to-one ratio if nut allergies are a concern. Reducing the liquid volume by two tablespoons compensates for the lower moisture retention of mushrooms compared to nuts.
Gluten-free adaptations demand careful attention to starch release during boiling. Legume-based pastas shed significantly more solids into boiling water than standard semolina varieties, requiring a rolling boil in a wide four-quart pot to prevent clumping. Stirring the strands continuously during the initial sixty seconds of cooking prevents adhesion without needing oil added to the water.
