If you are looking for a great meatless pasta sauce, this Beluga Lentil Pasta Sauce is ideal.
Rich and hearty black lentils make this sauce thick, and nutritious. Dried mushrooms (soaked in red wine) add delicious savoury and earthy tones.
This plant-based beluga lentil pasta sauce is hearty, wholesome and easy to make. Packed with fibre, protein and bold flavours. A twist on traditional bolognese.
My family would eat pasta every night of the week if I let them. Healthy sauces are just what we need. Tomato puttanesca is another favourite of ours.
Lentils are actually pulses, the edible seed of legumes. They come in a variety of colours like red, brown, green and black. They can be used in a lots of creative ways from soups to stews, dips, salads and more. Great for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan recipes. They are a budget-friendly source of protein, hearty healthy and low in fat.
Black lentils are also known as beluga lentils because they resemble beluga caviar. This vegetarian lentil bolognese is a great way to turn them into a gourmet meatless sauce. They are great in Poached Eggs & Lentil Hash for brunch or dinner.
Here are a few ways we enjoy cooking lentils in our house:
- Puy Lentils – another great pasta with lentils recipe.
- Marinated Lentils – perfect to add to soups, stews, sandwiches, and more.
- Meatless Tourtiere – a healthy version of the classic French Canadian holiday dish.
- Cream Cheese Balls – a fun appetizer for your next party.
- Vegan Mushroom Pate – excellent as a topper, sandwich spread, or dip.
Lentil Pasta Sauce Ingredients
Although this wholesome plant-based sauce has some gourmet ingredients, they are not hard to find. Be sure to check out the suggestions and recipe tips below.
- Dried mushrooms
- Red wine
- Black lentils
- Onion
- Garlic
- Bell peppers
- Canned tomatoes
- Red chili flakes and additional seasonings
- Tomato sauce
- Olive oil
- Garnish
Easy Beluga Lentil Pasta Sauce
This easy lentil bolognese is cooked in one pan. Full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Here is a quick overview:
- Soak the mushrooms in the wine. Drain and chop. Reserve the wine.
- Rinse lentils and set them aside.
- Chop all your veggies (onion, garlic, and peppers).
- Heat the oil in a skillet.
- Cook onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Add reserved wine and additional seasonings.
- Toss in lentils, mushrooms, and peppers.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water.
- The sauce is done when it has a nice thick consistency.
This flavourful black lentil pasta sauce is a great alternative to a traditional meat sauce. It takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. During that time cook, your pasta.
Serve this lentil mushroom sauce over any pasta for a satisfying plant-based meal. Garnish with fresh grated and chopped basil.
Suggestions/Recipe Tips
Dried Mushrooms – There is a huge variety of dried wild mushrooms to choose from. Morels, Chanterelles, Lobster, Black Trumpet, Porcini and more. All have unique flavours and any variety will work wonderfully in this lentil mushroom sauce. They can be found in grocery stores and online too. They always need to be reconstituted. You can use any liquid you like. You can replace the dried mushrooms with regular mushrooms but you made need to increase the amount.
Red Wine – Dry red wine is best for this recipe. You can use white if you prefer. Don’t want to use wine? No problem, leave it out. Water can be used for the dried mushrooms instead.
Seasonings – Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning. You can play around with any combination you like.
Garnish – Grated cheese and fresh herbs are always great choices.
Pasta – You can choose any kind and shape of pasta you wish. You can even use gluten-free pasta. Did you know there is lentil pasta? So delicious. This sauce would also be perfect over homemade herbed potato gnocchi.
Storage – Always store in a sealed container in the fridge. This sauce will last 4-5 days. It also freezes well and will last 4-5 months in the freezer.
Reheating – I like to reheat in a pot on the stove. Another option is in a covered dish in a moderate oven. You can use the microwave too, but be sure to mix often, and do it on a lower setting to get even heating.
Need a little more meatless inspiration? Give these lentil recipes a try:
Beluga Lentil Pasta Sauce
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 (minced)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 10 ounces bell peppers (diced) (I used yellow and orange)
- 19 ounces canned petit cut tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 14 ounces tomato sauce (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (for garnish)
- Fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano (for garnish)
Instructions
- 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.1 cup dry mushrooms, 1 cup dry red wine - Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the onion, garlic, and chili flakes. Sauté for 5 minutes.5 ounces onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and the reserved wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and simmer for 3 minutes.1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, Salt and pepper
- Add the drained lentils and cook for an additional 5 minutes.1 cup Beluga lentils
- Add the mushrooms and peppers. Cook for 5 minutes.10 ounces bell peppers (diced)
- Add the water, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 25-30 minutes (until desired sauce consistency).1 cup water, 14 ounces tomato sauce, 19 ounces canned petit cut tomatoes
- Remove from heat. Serve over your favourite pasta garnished with chopped fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, Fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Tina
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.
Homemade & Yummy
I have an Amazon link at the bottom of the post….they are so delicious.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
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.
Homemade & Yummy
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.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
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.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes I would say they are very similar to puy lentils….but even a bit larger and more dense. Perfect as a meat substitute.
Kate
I have never tried black beluga lentils! They are so beautiful! Your recipe looks delicious. I am pinning to try later!
Homemade & Yummy
Well I hope you give this recipe a try. Thanks for stopping by.
Jolina
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!
Homemade & Yummy
Well even the meat eaters will not miss the meat in this one.
Amy Nash
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!
Homemade & Yummy
They are so nice and dense…so meat lovers will feel like the are not missing out.
Denise
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!
Homemade & Yummy
I would have no problem eating this right out of a bowl.
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
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!
Homemade & Yummy
Beluga lentils are a great meat alternative. They are so nice and dense…and make the perfect pasta sauce that has a meaty texture.
Dana
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.
Homemade & Yummy
This really is a delicious sauce…and leftovers are great too.
Pam Greer
We try to go meatless at least once a week. We are also trying to eat more beans and pulses, so this is perfect!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes it is a win-win all the way around. ENJOY!!
Adriana Lopez Martin
I have a bag of beluga lentils that I have not cooked just yet, this is a great idea to make them today. Thanks for the inspiration!
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you enjoy this sauce as much as we do.
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
This is an amazing recipe, you’ve packed so much flavor into this meatless meal, even my husband would go for it!
Homemade & Yummy
I know…even the meat eaters will love this one. Hope you give it a try.
Veena Azmanov
Now that looks so scrumptious Gloria. That love the flavors you have going here. Love the beluga lentils and great step by step… no excused now.. – yum.
Homemade & Yummy
Lentils of all kinds are so delicious and nutritious.
Platter Talk
A tasty version of meatless spaghetti with sauce! I need to try this. It looks and sounds incredible.
Chef G
It is a great alternative for sure.
Cobourgcobbie
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. 🙂
Chef G
Thanks so much for the encouraging words. It has been a learning curve, but now I am at the FUN part…..COOKING!!