Ultimate Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce (for pasta and lasagne)
Puy lentils simmer with a rich tomato base and umami-rich seasonings to create a hearty, plant-based bolognese. It’s thick, satisfying, and just the right amount of bold. Whether spooned over pasta or layered into lasagne, this is comfort food with confidence.
Photographed truthfully. If you cook it, yours will look like mine.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Step 1
- 130 g puy lentils | dry weight
- 500 ml water | approximate amount; to cook the lentils
Ingredients for Step 2
- 250 g brown onion | unpeeled weight
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Ingredients for Step 3
- 2 units garlic cloves
- 30 g green olives
- 30 g black olives
- 20 g capers
Ingredients for Step 4
- 48 g tomato purée
- 125 ml red wine
Ingredients for Step 5
- 15 ml olive brine
- 15 ml red wine vinegar
- 5 g marmite
- 400 g tomatoes | tinned & chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Ingredients for Step 6
- 1 litre water | plenty of boiling water
- 1 pinch salt
- 360 g spaghetti | dried or fresh
- 5 ml olive oil
- 12 fresh basil | to dress the dish
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Cook lentils
- Boil the kettle, add the hot water to the saucepan, add the lentils and bring to a rolling boil. Cook for 8-12 minutes until they are al dente ('with bite'). Concentrate on the cooking of the lentils and avoid green sludge.130 g puy lentils, 500 ml water
2. Cook the onions
- Peel and dice the onions into neat 1cm chunks. You really do want this neat and tidy.250 g brown onion, 1 pinch salt, 30 ml olive oil
- Heat the oil in the frying pan on a low-medium heat, and add the diced onion and the pinch of salt.
- Cook the onion well, turning it in the oil with the spatula. You want to add flavour to the dish by well-cooked onions so allow them to caramelise on the edges and begin to become translucent. But you still want texture so don't let them go too soft.
3. Prepare the umami mix
- Peel the garlic and roughly chop. Drain the olives and capers. Pile the ingredients up onto the chopping board and chop them up together. Chop them a lot, so the mix is very fine. This will take a few minutes. Take care of your onions at the same time.2 units garlic cloves, 30 g green olives, 30 g black olives, 20 g capers
- Once the garlic/olive/caper mix is ready, add to the pan and mix with the onions. Cook this mix together for a couple of minutes.
4. Cook tomato purée and add the wine
- Add the tomato purée and mix with the contents of the pan.48 g tomato purée, 125 ml red wine
- Cook the tomato purée so that it becomes a darker red colour. This will take 2 or 3 minutes.
- Add the wine to deglaze the pan, stir and mix, then reduce to a low heat and simmer until the liquid from the wine has disappeared.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and reduce the sauce
- When the wine has evaporated, add the ingredients listed, mix thoroughly, and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce.15 ml olive brine, 15 ml red wine vinegar, 5 g marmite, 400 g tomatoes, 1 tsp dried oregano
6. Finish
- Bring a pan of water and the salt to a rolling boil on a medium-high heat, add the pasta and cook until it is al dente (with bite).1 litre water, 1 pinch salt, 360 g spaghetti, 5 ml olive oil, 12 fresh basil, 1 pinch ground black pepper
- Drain the pasta and put it back into the pan. Add the olive and mix to coat the pasta so it doesn't stick together.It is tradition to put the cooked pasta into the sauce, and then to mix the pasta and sauce together. I don't like it like that to be honest, so I drain the pasta, add and mix the oil and a little pinch of black pepper, then I serve with the sauce on top of the pasta, topped with fresh basil leaves.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 563kcalCarbohydrates: 100gProtein: 23gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 548mgPotassium: 623mgFiber: 16gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 984IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 4mg
Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on specific ingredients used. Nutrition is per serving. Information is for the main recipe, not optional accompaniments.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
COPYRIGHT
© The Golden Polar Bear, 2025. Recipes and photography by Julia Savory. If you share this, please pass it along with kindness and if possible share a link back to this site. #ForTheAnimals