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Best Ever Vegan Bolognese with Rutabaga Noodles

January 4, 2017 By Carrots and Flowers

BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!

Vegan bolognese has always been one of my go-to meals. A few cups of cooked lentils, some garlic, shallots, and store bought sauce, it’s so simple!

For this dish though, I had to kick things up a notch.

BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!

I started with homemade marinara which is surprisingly easy to make! Then I threw some walnuts into the mix for a bit of added crunch. It’s kinda my new thing since it worked so well in my favorite holiday dish, Vegan Mushroom Walnut Bourguignon.

To give it a healthy New Year makeover, I added in a ton of fresh veggies and lentils and served the vegan bolognese over steamed rutabaga noodles! The rutabaga gives this dish a paleo vibe and makes it easily gluten-free!

BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!  BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!

As if that’s not exciting enough on it’s own, each serving of this best ever vegan bolognese has nearly 24 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein.

It kept me and my husband full for hours and we normally eat quite a lot. Like, a lot alot. Like, I need a month of hot yoga and a juice cleanse a lot.

BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!  BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!

So if you’re looking for a healthy new dinner option (like me), this is a winner!

My favorite things about this BEST EVER vegan bolognese:

it’s SUPER nutritious

hearty + filling

packed with veggies

delicious

savory

made with whole foods

just a bit spicy

But don’t take my word for it, try this vegan bolognese for yourself!!

BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!

I have to give a shout out to my sister for making rutabaga noodles for me over Christmas! They are my new fav, expect to see lots of spiralized veggie noodles from me in the future.

Well, once I get a nicer spiralizer that is. My handheld one is no match for such a hearty root vegetable like rutabaga. What I did instead was use the shredder attachment on my food processor. It got the job done in less than a minute!

BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!

If you try this recipe, be sure to rate it in the comments so we know how yours turned out! While you’re at it, tag a photo with #carrotsandflowers on Instagram so we can admire your creation!

BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Best Ever Vegan Bolognese with Rutabaga Noodles
 
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Prep time
30 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
1 hour
 
Hearty, filling, and DELICIOUS! The best ever Vegan Bolognese packed with protein, veggies, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo-friendly rutabaga noodles.
Author: Carrots and Flowers
Recipe type: Main Course
Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free, Italian
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 7 garlic cloves, peeled and slivered
  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp dried oregano, plus more to taste
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 1½ cups cooked lentils
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ large zucchini, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 8 medium rutabagas
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 7 cloves of slivered garlic when it's nice and hot.
  2. As soon as garlic starts sizzling (do not let it brown), add the crushed tomatoes. Stir in the red pepper flakes, salt, and oregano.
  3. Simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface is a deep orange, about 15 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallot, 3 cloves minced garlic, and tomato paste cook for 1 minute stirring often. Add the lentils, bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Sauté for another 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms give off most of their liquid. Add the tomato sauce to the lentil mixture and reduce heat to low. Stir in the walnuts and chopped basil and let simmer while you prepare the noodles. Add water ¼ cup at a time to thin the sauce as needed.
  5. Rinse your medium skillet. Using a food processor fitted with the shredder attachment, shred the peeled rutabaga. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp water then transfer the shredded rutabaga to the pan. Cover and let steam for 5-7 minutes, stirring often and adding tablespoons of water as needed.
  6. When the noodles feel mostly soft but still firm (not mushy!) take them off the heat. Divide the noodles into serving bowls and top with large scoops of the vegan bolognese. Top with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast and enjoy!
Notes
*Sauce can be frozen for up to two weeks. Let cool to room temperature before storing in the freezer, then thaw in the fridge before reheating.
*Uncooked rutabaga noodles can be frozen then water sauté them for 2-3 additional minutes.
*Nutrition information is based on 5 servings.
3.5.3226

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BEST EVER Vegan Bolognese! Made with hearty lentils, walnuts and tons of veggies - Packed with protein, fiber, and tons of flavor! Served over paleo rutabaga noodles - Gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and so delicious!

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Tagged With: Dinner, Gluten-free, Healthy, Italian, paleo, Pasta

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Comments

  1. Ela says

    January 8, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    Wow your vegan bolognese looks so delicious! Such a tasty comfort food. Thanks for the recipe

    Reply
    • Carrots and Flowers says

      January 10, 2017 at 5:25 am

      Hi Ela!

      Thanks for checking out the recipe!! It was so tasty and comforting, perfect for winter! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Marisa Ledina says

    March 3, 2017 at 11:52 pm

    I made this last night and it tasted incredible! Probably the best pasta sauce I’ve ever had.

    One minor detail.. once I prepared the sauce I realized that the can of tomato paste was still sitting on the counter. I appears as though you may have forgotten to include in in the instruction portion. I cooked it a little in a pan and added it to the sauce to simmer and it came out great.

    Thanks for the great recipes!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      March 6, 2018 at 11:13 pm

      Thank you so much for the feedback, I apologize for my mistake! I’m so glad you still enjoyed the recipe.

      Reply
  3. Rosalind says

    March 6, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    This recipe is quite simply my favourite food. I’ve made it 5 or 6 times now.
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      March 6, 2018 at 11:14 pm

      Thank you so much for letting me know Rosalind! It really makes my day to know my recipes are being made and loved in kitchens like yours. 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Megan aka Carrots & Flowers. I make delicious plant-based recipes for people who love to eat and want to feel good about it! I especially love vegan cheese, 30-minute meals, and kid-friendly options.

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