Comforting and wholesome tagliatelle puy lentil ragu in a rich tomato and red wine sauce.
I’m sure you’ve realised I’m a big pasta lover and it was time to add one of my favourite pasta recipes to the blog.
I think I first had lentil ragu in an Italian restaurant and fell in love instantly. Just like I fall in love with any Italian dish!
Although a traditional ragu is slow cooked and made with meat this lentil ragu is packed with flavour and just as satisfying.
The base to this ragu starts with onion, garlic and celery. This is fried until soft and then the puy lentils are added along with the chopped tomatoes, stock, red wine and seasoning.
Puy lentils are a green peppery lentil and come from a region in France called Le Puy. I know, technically not Italian but I love the texture of them in this dish, they hold their shape better than other lentils and have a slightly chewy texture.
They are more expensive than regular lentils but you should be able to find them in most big supermarkets, I bought the brand Gourmet Merchant. If you can’t find them, sub for a green or brown lentil.
I love using lentils as a meat substitute, they’re great in pasta sauces, curries and stews. It also helps that they’re super good for you and full of protein and fibre!
The rich tomato sauce is made up of chopped tomatoes, red wine, vegetable stock, tomato purée, balsamic vinegar, sundried tomatoes, smoked paprika and salt and pepper.
You really can’t go wrong with this flavour combination, it’s simmered until thick and dark red in colour.
Make sure the red wine you’re using is vegan, most supermarket brands are good at labelling this now. Try Waitrose, Sainsbury’s or Co-op.
For the pasta, you can use any shape you prefer. I usually opt for a linguine, tagliatelle or pappardelle with a ragu. But I know that any type of pasta would be delicious!
For more pasta recipes you may enjoy these:
Roasted red pepper and sundried tomato pasta
Creamy Butternut Pasta with Sausage Crumbles
As always if you make this vegan lentil ragu be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Tagliatelle Puy Lentil Ragu
Comforting and wholesome vegan tagliatelle puy lentil ragu. A rich tomato and red wine sauce this is the perfect meatless take on a classic!
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 celery sticks
- ¾ cup dried puy lentils
- 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup red wine (or sub for extra stock)
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 4 sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
- 1 cup loosely packed basil
- 300g tagliatelle (gf if preferred)
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Finely chop the onion and add, let cook for a few minutes and stir regularly
- Crush the garlic and chop the celery into small pieces. Add to the onion, stir and let cook for 5 minutes,
- When the onion is soft, rinse the lentils and add along with all the remaining ingredients, apart from the basil. Bring to a gentle simmer and leave for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 10 minutes, cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
- The sauce should have thickened and be dark red in colour, lentils should have a bit of a bite to them.
- Add the pasta water to the sauce along with roughly chopped basil, stir and then add the pasta. Mix well and serve with fresh basil and vegan parmesan!
Notes
Best eaten fresh but will keep in the fridge in an air tight container for 3-4 days.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 277Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 391mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 7gSugar: 7gProtein: 12g
Made this last night and it was divine! I subbed the celery for a couple carrots, and port instead of wine, and it turned out great! Mopped up the sauce with some garlic bread too! 10/10 will make again
Hi Joe, thanks for your comment. So glad you enjoyed it, the subs sound delicious! Even better with garlic bread, yum! Thanks, Tamsin xo
Amazing flavours and a promising recipe but i’ve gotta say, the liquid quantities are next level way off what they should be. I followed the recipe to the T and at 25 mins the lentils were still well and truly raw. I think 1 litre of stock (4 cups) would have worked Better perhaps not 250ml (1/2 cup). Not sure yet tho as it’s still cooking after 45 mins!
Hi Jonny, thanks for your comment. I am not too sure what has gone wrong here. I have made this quite a few times and so have my readers and not had any problems. Dried puy lentils shouldn't take longer than 25 minutes to cook and 4 cups of stock would be far too much liquid (in addition to the wine and chopped tomatoes). Puy lentils should still have a bit of bite. Sorry that it didn't work out for you, if you have any further questions, please let me know. Thanks, Tamsin xo
Absolutely love this recipe. I also add about a tablespoon of nutritional yeast to enrich further! I’m not a vegan or even vegetarian, but this rivals my beef bolognese. Delicious with a macaroni cheese topping the next day too!
Gorgeous dish! my family loved it! Found it requires more stock than stated though 🙂
My mum made this - it is heavenly, so much more than your average pasta sauce. I'm not sure if she used wine so will ask her, but it was soooo rich and intense and delicious! I think it would make the perfect base for a lasagne
What weight of tinned put lentils would you use please?
Hi Caroline, it will roughly work out as double the amount if you're using cooked lentils - so 1.5 cups. You'll want to use less liquid too to account for that. Would love to know how it goes 🙂 xx