I’ve been doing a lot of travelling this past month. Three countries and another state within Australia. On trip was so close that I had one day at home before leaving for another. So in between trips I cooked at home and given the richness of the dishes I was eating while travelling I was determined to make something delicious but also healthy. Enter the lentil bolognese in between frantic packing and swearing.
Mr NQN chose to watch from a distance, wary that at any moment I would envelop him in my hurricane of activity and sweep him up and deposit him somewhere that he didn’t want-in the middle of housework most likely.
“Are you ok? I love you, you know that, right?” he said trying to calm me down.
I stopped my activity and looked at him. What did he mean by that I wondered?
“Well of course you love me! I’m freaking lovable!!” I said in a most unlovable way, before assuming the aforementioned flinging and packing routine.
Later when the storm had settled and I had all of my work done, photos taken, endless emails (mostly) answered I felt terrible for having taken his words for granted and so I served him up this pasta dish. Mr NQN is one of those people that cannot put on weight no matter how much pasta he eats (I know, infuriating isn’t it? 
). This is one of those easy dishes that comforts while at the same time is healthy and vegetarian friendly. There is plenty of body from the vegetables and lentils and the lentils do a pretty good job is simulating the texture of minced meat although I wouldn’t call this a direct meat substitute. Still, it’s a dish that is good enough to make repeatedly and it’s one that you could certainly make a double lot of and freeze in portions.
That is, if your husband doesn’t eat the entire lot in one go!
So tell me Dear Reader, where are you travelling to next? 
And are you one of those lucky people that can eat loads of carbs and pasta without putting on weight?
Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese
Serves 4
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion or 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 rib of celery, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 red capsicum, chopped in pieces
- 250g/1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced
- 1x 400g tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 100g/3.5ozs red lentils, rinsed well
- Salt and pepper to season.
- 500g/1 pound spaghetti
- Salt for cooking water
- Parmesan cheese for serving
1. In a large pot saute the onion, carrot and celery on medium heat until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and capsicum and saute for another two minutes. Then add mushrooms, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and finally lentils at the top (I find if I add them last they don’t tend to stick to the bottom of the pot). Allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Fill another pot with plenty of water and bring to the boil. Add salt to the water and then add spaghetti ensuring that it doesn’t stick together. Cook until al dente and then drain but do not rinse. By then the sauce should be ready-add some salt and pepper and taste it first. Once it is seasoned, stir the sauce through the spaghetti and serve with some extra grated parmesan cheese.
Teatowel, bamboo chopping board and bowl from Dandi
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62 Comments | Add your own
That sounds delicious!
I actually just this second booked a Christmas shopping day in London with my best friend!
Can’t wait!
x
Gorgeous. I love carbs, but they, unfortunately, do not always love me back (well, they love my cheeks- and my thighs). Next trip for us is to Cape Town and safari. Suffice to say, am ridiculously excited.
Did you draw the bird on the cutting board, or did it come like that? It is very pretty.
I’ll be going to Sydney for two weeks in December/January:) Yay! Call out to any food bloggers who would like to go to Bourke Street bakery with me:) Or else I’ll be a loner and go alone like normal:P
Can I eat carbs and not put on weight? I can’t eat carbs. I can’t eat grains full stop, without having massive stomach cramps. I made dumplings and stupidly ate them and couldn’t move. So, not sure about the weight thing. Though cake, my dear cake, I can’t give you up!
I am amazed how you fit all the blogging, emailing, organisation, commenting on blogs in with the travel! You should do time management seminars Lorraine!:)
Looks great – wonderful to have a vegetarian option. Hope December is more peaceful for you!
A great idea! Very nourishing, healthy and so delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Reading your post Lorraine you and Mr NQN remind me of my husband and I. Sometimes I run around like a mad woman all stressed at home and hubby will pull me aside to try and calm me down, I then make some petulant remark that I am sorry for later! Our next trip will probably be to Canada again to visit hubbys family, hopefully we are thinking of a stopover in New York. When i Unfortunately I don’t have the lucky no putting on weight gene!
Happy travels and well done for staying sane with that schedule
I think I am really going to try this recipe. I have been meaning to eat more legumes from a sustainability and health point. I eat cake and carb all day long and am still a size 8, although I never drink and I don’t really care for most fried or fatty foods.
I am addicted to carbs. Don’t give me cakes and chocolate, give me bread and pasta – yuuuum. But, my waist line HATES carbs, so I have to remain really strong (at least most of the time anyway).
My next trip will be in Australia – Brisbane to see my brother and his family for Christmas. Can’t wait to see my beautiful nieces!
I can eat like a horse right now, only cause of breast feeding, TMI? Anyway, otherwise i’m more of a have what you want kinda gal, but about portion control.
We are on our way back to Sydney today, as far as travelling is concerned….Wish it was NY!!
Love this recipe, and the chopping board is too cute
wow – that is one busy travel schedule my dear!
Love spag bol! Lentils not so much ….
Yum – this looks very good! I like lentils. I just look at carbs and my little pot tummy expands. I am off to Airlie Beach – hooray!
Thanks for another great recipe! I’m always on the lookout for vegetarian options to cook for my sister. I love carbs so this recipe is great for both of us! Im still young so don’t really have a problem with carbs and weight but give me 5 more years and I’m sure I’ll have to reign myself in!
Next holiday is my honeymoon! Very excited – we’re off to Langkawi for 3 weeks!
Aw you’re sweet. This looks so delicious
no interstate travel for me lately – saving up for honeymoon!!
Heidi xo
I am off to Western Australia tonight!
And sadly, like some of the others, I love carbs but they don’t love me. I always lose weight when I cut back on bread and pasta.
Yummo! Of course you’re freak in lovable Lorraine
A tin of lentils in the pantry can be transformed into many gourmet dishes! We’re off to the Hunter Valley soon for a few days of R&R- and no cooking!
Me – I have just booked my dream Foodie trip to Italy!!!! I am finally going! Mangi, Mangi, Mangi!!!
I’m going to hong kong soon. hehe. but first, i have to head back to kl….
i don’t think i can eat carbs and not gain any weight now! i used to be able to wolf down two bowls of rice and get away with it. but that was when i was 14? i guess that’s where my height came from.
I like double carb combinations – rice and potato, dal mopped up with fluffy nan, pasta, potato and pesto…the list goes on! This lentil pasta looks gorgeous and just the kind of dish I like to cook. Yum.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! My MIL is vego and I’m always racking my brain for recipes to cook for her. Btw – totally understand bout the packing frenzy. Packing-Nessie is my Mr Hyde.
I’m still in Italy, Helsinki will be next then home to Australia for a little while before doing it all again.Looking at food causes me to gain weight. I like the look of this dish.
Oh gawd, Carbs are my archilles heel. I kid you not, if I was on death row, the last meal I would request would be thick sourdough toast slathered with butter and vegemite. Sigh….Unforunately for me, I am NOT blessed with the metabolism to counter act those carbs.
My next trip? The US, was just online booking a white water rafting trip in the Grand Canyon! Can’t WAIT!
We’re off to Thailand for our honeymoon in 9 weeks. Argh! 9 weeks??? Need to pack! lol
I wish I was one of them!
Im unfortunately not one of those lucky people. Those people annoy me lol
YEARN visiting Sri Lanka, meeting the Dilmah family, TRUE!
Was chosen one of their ambassadors at a High Tea in Adelaide too!
Starting a cooking school combining foods and tea,
They do SOOOOOOOOOO much more to help the world, is TOTALLY GREAT to see!
I am one of the lucky ones, TRUE!!
As can still eat what I want and stay slim too! WHOO HOO!
This is totally up my alley – especially if you substitute the pasta for zucchini ribbons (gluten-free option). I can’t wait to try this – thanks ladybird! x
I love lentils and bolognese equally–I consider this a perfect (and healthy) marriage.
Hopefully, I will be leading my seventh trip to Morocco and my third to Istanbul next spring!
Wonderful
! I have made a very similar recipe sans lentils forever and tho’ I love, love, love lentils have never added them! This is on for the weekend for sure! Nutritionally a pretty much ‘complete meal’ 
! As for your Qs: boo-hoo, no travel on the horizon and I too am one of those people who just has to look at food to bulge in all the wrong places 
! A certain amount of wholemeal pasta tho’ is non-negotiable in my books!
This sounds great, I could eat this everyday, tons of it, and not gain weight:)
I am not one of those lucky people who can eat all the carbs she wants, but I am a carb addict! I’m also not a big fan of meat, so this look perfect. Love the red lentils since they cook so quickly too.
Wow, although it sounds fun, I imagine it would be very exhausting to travel so much. I’m going on a girl’s weekend to the Central Coast next weekend
Love this lentil bolognese! I didn’t realise you could use (dried?) lentils like that, without needing to soak them. Pasta is a treat for me, as carbs aren’t my friend (but I looooove them).
My man is like that too. It’s so depressing. It’s only been in the last year that he finally weighs more that me!
I don’t know if I could get the lentils past him but I’ll definitely be giving this one a go for myself.
This looks delicious and healthy too. Sadly, I only need to look at food to put on weight!
We’ve been making something a bit similar for years now (flexitarian house), but I find the thing that really tips it over the edge from ‘healthy vego’ to ‘comfort food’ is to crumble some feta through. The extra salt (and fat?) from the cheese just makes it super-delicious.
i have to try this out i have red lentils at home ive only used 1 cup once to make a coconut red curry and havent touched it since.. hope its got a long shelve life, its dry right??
I’m not travelling anywhere and feel very sad about it all
and I feel sad that your spaghetti has no meat! Sad sad sad. But I guess lentils are kind of the meat for vegetarians right? Besides, you still have pasta in the dish so it’s still ok 
Mmm, this looks irresistible. I think even my carnivore husband would scarf this up.
Ben’s learned when I get in a tizzy to stay out of my way!
***“Are you ok? I love you, you know that, right?” he said trying to calm me down.***
Lorraine, I adore how you incorporate your personal life w/ your cooking & adventures.
You. Are. Adorable.
Oh, and the pasta looks Amaaazing. Xx
Scrumptious and healthy all at the same time! I hope you don’t mind me sharing your blog entry with a friend of mine; he’s having a tough time getting his toddler son to eat veg and this looks like a great way to sneak it into the tot’s diet.
Alas, my metabolism went on the fritz ages ago (hence my Nigella-in-a-burkini figure), so I tend to pack on the poundage. Scotland (knock on wood) is next in the travel cards for me…
I know how you feel re traveling . I’m the same at the moment. I got back from Darwin 2 weeks ago. I’m going back to Darwin in a few days, then to Tassie then Melbourne… Ahhh it’s fun but draining at same time
The universe must be telling myself to eat more lentils! My friend just posted a status on Facebook about how she made lentil bolognaise and lentil curry the other day and loved them, even her family of carnivores did! I’ll definitely be giving your recipe a go, thanks Lorraine, love your work and enjoy reading your blog each morning before work
Lauren.
This is a dish I used to make all the time when I was a vego, I actually prefer it to the meat version.
I find that as long as the pasta is made with a healthy sauce I can eat as much as I need.
I don’t know where I am off to next… I don’t tend to plan
I find a bit of dried chilli goes well with lentils, but whew! You want to leave the windows open that night.
I remember seeing this idea a few years ago on an Australian and promising myself I would try it. It just looked so hearty and satisfying and I am always on the look out for options when I am cooking for vegetarians. Thank you for reminding me about it, it looks great and I love your pictures. Next travels? Perhaps Munich (but it seems a little unlikely because of work) and the Alps. And no, I am not one of those lucky people who can eat carbs non stop without putting on weight. Grrr!
America in a week! I’m so excited
Lentils in a spag bol is a pretty inspired idea in my opinion!
Lucky Mr. NQN! I just look at a carb and I gain weight.
Love the idea of lentils in this dish, Lorraine, it’s a great pasta dish. No wonder he loved it.
Being a vego one of the things I miss most is Spaghetti Bolognese! I’ve tried a lentil bolognese recipe before and I wasn’t sold on it (although my meat-eating boyfriend like it, so that’s always a win!) so I’ll have to give this one a try
I love the cutting board – so cute!! Perfect for food styling (I am too cheap to use it for real cooking). Bolognese is always my comfort food (it wasn’t a Japanese food). Adding lentil is interesting! I have red cast iron too – so cute.
Looms good and while I like the idea of healthy I’m nit sure how I feel about the lack of meat. Will have to just try it and see
I used to live on pasta and carbs and never put on weight, but something happened after having kids (or perhaps it was going through early menopause) and it all change. Now they are my enemy and I must limit them, sob. Still, I will give this recipe a try as I love cooking without meat as much as possible. I wonder if I could get it past the kids?
This looks so…luscious! And why don’t I cook with fabulous lentils more often? I am nowhere near you and your jet set lifestyle – which I so envy – but I have been traveling a lot lately for teaching and speaking events – New Orleans, the Sultanate of Oman, Weimar, Germany, Tuscany, Italy and next is down to Cognac country in France for a Cognac discovery trip and cooking workshop! I can’t wait! And only my sons can eat all the pasta and pizza and carbs they want without putting on an ounce. Sad, isn’t it?
Oh, and followed by new York and then Somerset, UK. Sorry, but can you tell I’m excited!!!??
Oh lady, I hear you! I arrived home tonight from four days in Adelaide, with two of those days involving working for 14+ hours (once with no break), and next week I have to go to Sydney for a day, which involves getting up at 5am and getting back after 8pm. How I wish my travelling was for food and blog like yours!
Love the healthy protein boost from the lentils! A great easy dinner, for sure.
I often make bolognese with half mince/half lentils to make it healthier
My next few trips are to Canberra… no real travel planned for some time unfortunately 
weight-gain-free pasta is not something i’ve stumbled across in my adventures, no. too bad. i like the use of lentils here, lorraine–it’s high time they were used for something other than soup!
Since August, I’ve been to Japan, Philippines, Australia and Vietnam! Off to either Lombok or Sulawesi in several weeks
I put on weight even by looking at carbs :p
oh that is my sort of bolognaise – haven’t made it for ages and now you have me wanting a bowl and it is late at night – maybe on the menu soon at chez GGG
I have a partner who doesn’t put on weight no matter what he eats and I wish I could say the same of myself
MMMMMM,…What an unique & lovely combination of red lentils with pasta!
Why didn’t I think of that? So cool & tasty looking too, dear Lorraine!
I love the food, but especially love that polka dot cloth under it. Oh and what I want for Christmas…Mr. NQN’s metabolism.
I know I should be concentrating on the food, but all I can think is ‘that is one gorgeous chopping board).
Oh, and I am definitely not one who can eat carbs and not have it show (how unfortunate!)
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