As a vegetarian, I find that it’s hard to find new recipes that I truly love. That’s why I end up substituting a lot of ingredients in any recipe I come across. This vegan lentil bolognese recipe was an experimental one when we first got our instant pot, but now it’s a staple in our household. Due to the carrots and peppers, this recipe has quite a sweet taste at the end, so be wary of that. The instant pot is great because it’s allowed us to make recipes that normally take 3-4 hours in more than half the time. This particular recipe cooks very quickly, more details below.
This recipe is for use in an Instant Pot Duo 7-in1 electric pressure cooker with a 5.7-liter capacity. If you have anything else, adjust accordingly. This recipe serves 4-6 people (or gives 4-6 portions if you’re only 1 or 2 people). It can be frozen for later use.
Vegan Lentil Bolognese Recipe For An Instant Pot
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Ingredients
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Large Onion
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Celery Sticks
- 1 Pepper (I use red or yellow)
- 115g Red Lentils
- 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 2 vegetable stock cubes
- Salt and pepper
- Spaghetti (or any pasta will do)
- Optional: Mushrooms (I don’t use mushrooms, but if you like them they could be a great addition)
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Grater
- Instant Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Pan
- Colander
- Serving Spoon
Method For Vegan Lentil Bolognese On The Instant Pot
1: Peel and grate the carrots
2: Chop the onion, garlic, celery, peppers, and the optional ingredient, Mushrooms.
3: Use the saute function of your instant pot to gently fry the onion, garlic, celery, peppers, carrots, and (optional) mushrooms. Set the time to 5 minutes. Don’t add the ingredients until the instant pot changes to “Hot”.
4: Once the instant pot message has changed to “End” get 2 cups of water and put it in the pot, stirring until any food stuck to the bottom has been scraped off. Let the instant pot cool down before entering the next stage. This is to avoid the “Food burn” message.
5: Add the lentils, tinned tomatoes, stock, and seasoning to the pot and mix well. Add extra water as you think necessary. Personally, I tend to add around 4-5 cups of water overall.
6: Once everything is mixed well and the pot is cool enough it’s time to set everything up. Put the lid on and make sure you set the valve to the sealing position. Use the “Pressure Cook” function on medium and change the time to 10 minutes.
7. Cook your spaghetti (or any type of pasta) on your hob. Once cooked rinse it in your colander.
8. Once the pressure cooker has finished cooking, release the valve and wait for the steam to release fully. Take the lid off and serve immediately.
Things To Remember
- It’s normal for your instant pot to let out some steam when it’s creating pressure, but if you feel it’s too much you should check that everything is in order.
- Always wash the lid of your instant pot after use, this way you’re less likely to encounter any problems.
- You can substitute any of the ingredients to suit your own tastes.
- Before beginning the pressure cooking make sure you’ve given the instant pot enough time to cool down after the sauteing.
- The “Keep Warm” function automatically comes on, if you don’t wish to use it make sure you unselect it before the pressure cook process begins.
- Once the saute function has reached “end” make sure you scrape any food bits that have stuck to the bottom otherwise you may get the food burn message. I also add water at this stage to help clear the bottom.
- I am by no means an expert when it comes to cooking, this is just a recipe I formed that I thought may taste good.
- If you’re a vegetarian, you can always grate some parmesan on top for added flavour.
Why This Recipe Is Great For Vegans
Lentils are a great plant-based source of iron and protein for vegetarian and vegan diets. They are a really good substitute for meat as they compliment all the same flavours really well. A tasty way to get the nutrients you need without losing any of the flavour.
Being a vegetarian myself, I find that a lot of recipes are bland and tasteless meaning that I am always adding ingredients or spices on top of recipes, this one is definitely not bland or tasteless. It’s got a good mix of comfort food and healthy eating.
Afterthoughts On The Vegan Lentil Bolognese Recipe
This recipe is an absolute winner in my household. It’s great comfort food on a cold night. This is my first ever recipe on this blog, and I’m excited to share it. I hope it can live up to expectations. It’s a great alternative to a classic dish that everyone can adapt to fit their diets.
My lentil bolognese looked like this and was so delicious, I’ve made it a fair few times since. Remember that no matter what your recipe ends up looking like, it’s the taste that counts.
I really like the sound of this! I’m not vegan but I don’t really eat much meat and am generally a fussy eater so I’m really lacking in iron! This will be a good one for me to try out as a wee iron booster! Thank you!
I used to be lacking in iron too as I’m also a fussy eater. I’ve definitely worked on that a lot with recipes like this. Thank you for commenting!
I have made lentil bolognese before but never in an instant pot, so this surprised me! It looks really yummy and you make it sound so easy to use it, knowing me I’d probably burn my skin trying to do it all! I have an instant pot on my wishlist, so I’ll keep your recipe on hand and try it when I eventually get one! xx
I thought I’d burn myself with my instant pot, but I really didnt! You won’t regret getting an instant pot, they cut down so much time when it comes to cooking.
This sounds so good! I am a huge fan of lentils but my sisters are not, so i might give this a chance and convince them hopefully! Thanks for sharing x
Lentils done right are so delicious! Thank you for commenting
This recipe seems delicious and super healthy. Will have to try it soon.
Thank you, I’ve made it so many times and it is delicious
Really nice, I love the idea. ❤️❤️❤️Thanks for sharing https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
Thank you for commenting
I’ve never used an Instant Pot to make bolognese but that’s such a great idea. The end result looks delicious too!
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Thank you for commenting
This looks delicious. I’ve never had a lentil bolognese before but I’d love to try it.
it’s so good! Definitely worth a try
I’ve been looking for a vegan alternative and this recipe sounds pretty good. I will be giving it a try on the weekend as it seems like a nice cost meal during the cold weather!
Glad I could help! Thank you for commenting
OMG ! When I was vegan, this was one of my go to comfort meals and I absolutely loved it!
It’s slowly becoming my go to meal as well! Thank you for commenting
This sounds like such a yummy recipe! I don’t really like bolognese tbh and it’s the meat in it that I’m not a fan of so this would be a great alternative! x
Thank you for commenting. Definitely a good alternative, different taste to a traditional bolognese as well
I love veggie bolognese and this recipe sounds right up my street – thanks for sharing xx
Thank you! I didn’t think I would like it until I tried it, now it’s a staple.
This sounds an interesting version of Bolognese and something I would definitely give it a go! Lauren.
Thank you! It’s really delicious
Oooh this sounds so interesting! I never would’ve thought that lentils would work in a bolognese but I’m loving the sound of this x
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It’s so good! Lentils are so versatile and great for vegetarians and vegans.
This actually looks so good! I have to admit, I am not a fan of lentils! I haven’t tried a recipe that I’ve liked BUT I do keep trying. Thank you for sharing x
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Lentils are such a staple for me. Glad you keep trying. It took my while to like them, it really is about making it the right recipe and spices that work for your tastebuds