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Spicy Beluga Lentil Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms and Wine

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If you are looking for a great alternative to a meat filled pasta sauce, this Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms and Wine is ideal. Beluga lentils make this pasta sauce thick, hearty and nutritious. Dried mushrooms (soaked in red wine) give a nice earthy tone to this dense spicy sauce.

Overhead shot of Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce on pasta in a bowl. Wine and bread on the side.

Beluga lentils are such a great ingredient. We love Poached Eggs & Lentil Hash for brunch or dinner. Did you know that lentils are great for gluten free and vegan recipes too? Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce has you covered, and even the meat lovers won’t miss the meat in this beluga lentil recipe.

Even though we are meat eaters, I try to incorporate different proteins into our diet for variety and healthy nutritious alternatives. This pasta sauce is filled with great flavour and has a nice “meaty” texture.

Dried mushrooms soaking in red wine.

Beluga Lentils

Have you ever heard of black beluga lentils? They are just one of the several varieties of delicious lentils available. They sort or resemble caviar. Most people know of green, red, and brown lentils. Lentils are the perfect meat alternative. Tourtiere recipe is the perfect example of swapping out meat and replacing it with lentils. A traditional dish that is still delicious without sacrificing flavour or texture.

Beluga (and ALL lentils) are:

  • an economical source of protein
  • rich in minerals, vitamins, and fibre
  • heart healthy
  • low in fat

Cooking beluga lentils, (or any type of lentil) is not difficult. Similar to cooking rice:

  • no soaking required
  • rinse
  • use a 2:1 ratio of water/liquid to lentils (less if you want a firmer texture)
  • cook for 15-20 minutes
  • 1 cup of dry lentils yields 2 cups of cooked lentils

Although we do love our meat, this Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce  recipe certainly is a nice change of pace from traditional meat sauces. This can be used on any type of pasta and would work great in lasagna too. Healthy doesn’t mean “not delicious”.

Beluga lentils cooking in a pan with peppers and mushrooms.

For this one pan beluga pasta sauce I used:

  • black beluga lentils
  • water
  • dried mushrooms (soaked in red wine)
  • diced onion
  • diced yellow and orange peppers
  • minced garlic
  • canned tomatoes
  • tomato sauce
  • Italian seasoning
  • salt & pepper
  • dried chili pepper flakes
  • fresh basil
  • parmesan cheese

Have you used dried mushrooms before? They are so rich and earthy. Reconstitute them in liquid before using. In this pasta sauce, red wine served as the liquid, then I used the wine in the sauce. Pasta and wine are a sure thing in our house. Always use a wine you would drink since you only need 1 cup of wine for the sauce. Have some while you cook, or save it to enjoy with your meal.

Overhead shot of beluga pasta sauce in a pot ready to eat.

Talking about wine, did you notice the cool glasses in the picture? Visit Puc’n Glass to check them out, and you can read my tipsy glass review too.

Back to the beluga sauce recipe. This all comes together in one pot (except for the pasta). If you happen to have any extra fresh mushrooms don’t be scared to chop them up as well and toss them into the sauce.  Any colour of fresh pepper works here. I have made this sauce with green peppers before. As for the chili pepper flakes, use as much or little as you like. We like our Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce on the “hotter” side.

This pasta sauce recipe makes about 8 cups. It freezes well, so you can make a huge batch and pop some in there for later down the road.

Closeup shot of pasta and sauce on a spoon.

Meatless Monday just got a little tastier and a whole lot healthier. Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms and Wine is the perfect gluten free, meatless, vegetarian and vegan meal for any night of the week. Hope you give it a try soon.

 Do you have a favourite lentil dish you like to make?

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Overhead shot of Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce on pasta in a bowl. Wine and bread on the side.

Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms and Wine

Course: Lentils, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: Canadian
Keyword: Lentils Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Soaking mushrooms: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 171 kcal
Author: Homemade & Yummy

Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms and Wine is the perfect alternative to meat based pasta sauces. Great for any kind of pasta, and as a lasagna filling too. Freezes well. Gluten free, meatless, and vegan.

Print

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry mushrooms
  • 1 cup dry red wine (your choice)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup Beluga lentils (rinsed)
  • 5 ounces onion (diced)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minsed)
  • Salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 10 ounces bell peppers (diced) (I used yellow and orange)
  • 19 ounces canned petit cut tomatoes (1 can)
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 14 ounces tomato sauce (1 can)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (for garnish)
  • Fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano (for garnish)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  1. Soak mushrooms in the red wine for approximately 30  minutes.

    Drain and squeeze the mushrooms. Reserve the wine. Chop the mushrooms.

    Rinse lentils and set aside.

  2. Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. 

    Add the olive oil.

  3. Add the onion, garlic, and chili flakes. Sauté for 5 minutes. 

  4. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and the reserved wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and simmer for 3 minutes. 

  5. Add the drained lentils and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

  6. Add the mushrooms and peppers. Cook for 5 minutes.

  7. Add the water, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 25-30 minutes (until desired sauce consistency).

  8. Remove from heat. 

    Serve over your favourite pasta garnished with chopped fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.

  9. ENJOY!!

Recipe Notes

This is the perfect "meatless" pasta sauce that can also be used for lasagna.
Lots of protein and a nice "spicy" flavour for a homemade heart healthy meal.

Makes approximately 7 cups of sauce.

Nutrition Facts
Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms and Wine
Amount Per Serving
Calories 171 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Sodium 366mg 15%
Potassium 456mg 13%
Total Carbohydrates 25g 8%
Dietary Fiber 8g 32%
Sugars 6g
Protein 8g 16%
Vitamin A 30.2%
Vitamin C 70.4%
Calcium 5.5%
Iron 19.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms and Wine long pin image.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hey Gloria,
    Big fan of yours,

    I have never tried black beluga lentils! They are so beautiful! Your recipe looks delicious. I am pinning to try later!

    I have a question for you can You please write a post about Indian Foods
    Thanks in advance eagerly waiting for the post and your response.

    Reply

  2. Could you use lentils other than Beluga? I have some pre-packaged steamed in my fridge. Does not say what kind, they are tan/ brown colored.

    Reply

  4. This sounds gorgeous! I love that you are using lentils in this, we had pasta this weekend but with meat…sometimes, I it can seem too heavy of a meal. I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply

  5. Love it! What a great alternative to a classic meat sauce! I never tried beluga lentils before but looking at this recipes, I definitely will. Also, my fiancee will appreciate the mushrooms in this sauce!)

    Reply

    • This is the perfect alternative to a meat based sauce. You can even just eat this in a bowl as sort of a chili. Beluga lentils really hold their shape well. Dried mushrooms add intense earthy flavour. Hope you give it a try.

      Reply

  9. Yummy! What a fun substitute!! This looks delish and it’s always fun to switch it up a bit and take a break from the meat! Love all the lentils in this one! So unique!

    Reply

  12. I love the mushrooms soaked in the red wine! I have used white wine to soak them in previous dishes I have made but never red. This sounds like it has such a rich umami flavor and I am a huge lentil fan. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!

    Reply

  13. I’ve recently been indulging in more gluten-free meals so I usually opt for meals with beans and lentils. This sounds like it was created for me. Definitely going to try this soon. Saving for later.

    Reply

  18. OMG! I am SO trying this for the next Meatless Monday. I absolutely love mushrooms but had never thought about reconstituting dried mushrooms in red wine! Talk about a game changer! I’ll be looking for beluga lentils this week. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  20. I have beluga lentils in my pantry, and your Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce looks amazing! I’m pinning it and hope I don’t forget to give it a try… We are carnivores (mostly pescatarian as we live near the Gulf), but I try a lot of vegetarian recipes, and we try to practice #MeatlessMonday for environmental concerns… Great recipe/post Gloria!

    Reply

  21. I absolutely love beluga lentils! They’re a little hard to find here, and I’m almost completely out- but they’re definitely on my grocery list! This looks so good- what a great idea to use them instead of beef!

    Reply

  22. I love red and green lentils a lot but I have never tried beluga lentils. After your post I will try beluga lentil. Sounds so delicious with wine and mushrooms. Pinned!

    Reply

  24. What a fantastic idea to use beluga lentils in a pasta sauce. Lentils are SO hearty and satisfying, and while we’re a very meat-centric house ourselves, we always look forward to a great lentil dish. Combined with the mushrooms and red wine, this is sauce looks like such a comforting recipe!

    Reply

  25. I LOVE lentils… and the best part about this recipe when I made it? I cant eat any pasta for a while, but the beluga sauce was a full meal for myself while my family enjoyed the sauce over the pasta! It was delicious and I was sad I hadn’t doubled the recipe to have for lunch the next day. I’ll absolutely be making this in our regular rotation! it was fantastic!

    Reply

  26. I’ve made a buluga lentil curry but never tired it in my pasta sauce. Now I absolutely must because this looks so darn delicious.. Love the color and flavors especially with the earthy mushrooms. Yum!

    Reply

  27. We don’t eat a lot of lentils, but this has convinced me that we should. This sounds so hearty and delicious. The red wine soaked mushrooms have piqued my interest so much, and probably add so much flavor! I can’t wait to try this out!

    Reply

  28. This is great! I love lentils and no I have never heard of or seen black beluga lentils before. I’m going to have to score some, glad I came across this article. It sounds like they are easy to make too! Thank for this recipe.

    Reply

  29. WoW, Gloria!! The sauce sounds amazing. I’ve never had Beluga lentils but I’m definitely going to look for them. We’ve just now started eating lentils and this would be great to go along with the variety. We do a lot of ordering from Amazon — it’s so convenient for us because we live in a smaller town and going from store to store searching for products seems like such a waste of time. Will make this once we get home.

    Reply

    • You can for sure order these on Amazon…I have link at the bottom of my post. These lentils really keep there shape, have a great texture and are so hearty and delicious. I could just eat a bowl of this alone without pasta.

      Reply

  30. I use lentils on a regular basis and up to this point, DePuy lentils (french lentils) have always been my favorite because they hold their shape, even when cooked. This is the first time I’ve heard of Beluga lentils — and I’m wondering if they have the same “shape holding” quality. I’d never thought to use legumes as a sub for meat in pasta sauce, but it really looks delicious. My daughter has been wanting to eat less meat and this recipe would give us the latitude of meatless, while still satisfying the meat lovers in the family, I think.

    Reply

  32. We’re the same…we’re not vegetarian but we try to have a vegetarian dish or two every week. We usually make chili or pilaf with lentils. This would be a delicious addition to our meal plan!

    Reply

  33. Such a fabulous, hearty sauce with wondeful flavors! I don’t cook with lentils often and haven’t tried these beluga lentils but I’ve actually seen them recently and wondered what to do with them. Now I know! And yes to reconstituting mushrooms! So delicious and they add so much flavor!

    Reply

  34. This looks so good! Could you eat this without the pasta or would that be strange? I just had lentils for the first time in a long time and I forgot how much I like them. I had red lentils which I know are a little mushier. I’ll have to keep an eye out for the beluga lentils. Great post!

    Reply

  35. I love lentils but I’ve never heard of Beluga! Now, I’m going to be on a mission to find them so I can make your lovely dish. I love using dried mushrooms and love that you put them in wine! Yay for wine! Your dish looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  36. This looks and sounds so hearty, Gloria! It’s also made me realize that I haven’t dug into a big plate of pasta in a while. I need to fix that stat.

    Reply

  42. Wow! Fantastic layout of your blog! Everything I would ever need to make this dish is present: step-by-step photos, descriptions of how to do each step of the recipe, the full list of ingredients and suggested items to serve with it. Very well done, Gloria! You have come a loooooooong way in a very short time. I predict that your blog is going to take off rathe quickly, if you keep posting gems like this! I am proud of you. 🙂

    Reply

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