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Instant Pot Lentil Bolognese Sauce can be made in no time with the help of your electric pressure cooker. Plus, it’s vegetarian and packed with protein & fiber.
I’m always on the lookout for ways to eat more pasta while still keeping my nutrition a bit on track too… That’s because I could seriously eat pasta every single day of my life…
I recently passed by a question on Facebook where someone asked: “If you could only eat three foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?”
I started off on the right foot:
- Poke
- Ceviche
And then, my carb-loving, half Italian-blooded self came through:
3. Pasta
Seriously, I think I lived my entire high-school life eating pasta every day… My nana lived next door, and every day after school she would walk us over some of her pasta with sauce. So it’s only habit…
Here’s a pasta recipe that makes me feel a little better about things. It’s vegetarian, packed with fiber and nutrients, and even the pasta is gluten free. And, I made it all with the help of my Instant Pot. It seems whenever I’m cooking bean-based dishes lately, I always use the Instant Pot – It saves so much time, and I love how hands-free it makes the cooking process.
This Instant Pot Lentil Bolognese is loaded with veggies – Crimini mushrooms, carrots, celery, and tomatoes… And of course, I had to a glug or two of red wine…
Even though the Instant Pot makes things quicker, this lentil bolognese sauce will still take about 40 minutes from start to finish… Leaving you plenty of time to drink remaining red wine and start your pasta…
I cooked up a box of Barilla Gluten Free Penne for this recipe. It’s very similar in taste and texture to “regular” pasta and is make with non-GMO corn and rice. It’s a hearty pasta that stands up well to the lentil bolognese.
I like to serve this Instant Pot Lentil Bolognese over the pasta in big bowls topped with plenty of fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese and a sprinkling of fresh basil. Highly suggested for not only Meatless Monday, but any day of the week..
Instant Pot Lentil Bolognese Sauce
This Lentil Bolognese Sauce can be made in no time with the help of your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1 stalk celery finely chopped
- 2 carrots finely chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped Crimini mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 1 cup dried lentils rinsed
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- Dash red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- Coarse salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 pound Barilla Gluten Free Penne cooked
- Pecorino Romano cheese grated or shaved
- Fresh basil chopped (optional)
Instructions
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Press the Sauté function key on your Instant Pot and heat the olive oil. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Keep the lid off and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onions are clear and the vegetables are soft.
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Add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and have released some liquid and the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate, let brown for 2-3 minutes. Add the red wine and stir, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, let evaporate.
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Add the lentils, tomatoes, water, and spices to the Instant Pot, close the steam release knob and set to manual for 20 minutes. Now is a good time to cook your pasta. When the Lentil Bolognese sauce is done cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked pasta and top with grated cheese and fresh basil.
Wine Pairings for Instant Pot Lentil Bolognese Sauce:
- Try an authentic Italian red wine with this hearty lentil bolognese – Chianti, Barolo and Teroldego are all great options.
Look for Barilla Gluten Free Pasta at your local Kroger store. And, be sure to click here for a coupon.
Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Be sure to try these too:
INSTANT POT SALSA CHICKEN TACO LETTUCE WRAPS
INSTANT POT CHEESY SOUTHWESTERN LENTILS & BROWN RICE
INSTANT POT RED BEANS & RICE
INSTANT POT CHICKEN PHO
As a mostly vegetarian, I like lentils, though 95% of the time I use them in soup. I should mix it up and try this – sounds like a delicious sauce!
Thanks Catherine – I’m a huge fan of lentils and have noticed that this blog is become overwhelmed with all the lentil recipes lately!!! Do you have any favorite soup recipes that you enjoy with them?
This makes me want to get an Instant Pot! Love the idea of a bolognese made with lentils – such a great vegetarian option. I’m going to keep this in mind for the future.
I absolutely LOVE my Instant Pot and find myself using it so much more than I thought I would.
It is finally starting to cool off, and I’m ready to pull my Instant Pot off the pantry shelf again. This looks delicious, Erin,
Thanks Renee!
I don’t have an instant pot, so I made this recipe on the stove. The flavor was right on, but for some reason, my lentils never became fully tender ( I bought the lentils today and ended up simmering the sauce for an hour). When I make this recipe again, I will increase the amount of mushrooms and minimize or eliminate the lentils.. I enjoyed the excuse to open a bottle of wine when the recipe only called for 1/3 cup 😉
This looks amazing! I was curious if you had any suggestions for a mushroom substitute? Thank you!
As a Weight Watchers, I seem to love all the recipes, but wish you had nutritional counter menu..
I was very disappointed, I took all the time to prepare the meal and then got the “burn” error message on my instant pot. Thought maybe it was b/c I didn’t quite scrape everything off the bottom initially. Scraped it, added 1 cup broth to make sure there was enough liquid, tried again, and got the “burn” error message again. What a waste of 90 minutes.
I’m so sorry to hear that Christina! I’ve never gotten a “burn” message on my Instant Pot… I’ve heard of others having this problem too though. No idea what might be causing it… I’m going to do some research!
Exact same thing happened to me yesterday, and I was cooking for 15 people at a team retreat. Dinner was delayed by over an hour as I got the burn notice three times, and then eventually just simmered for 20minutes. Very frustrating. Flavours were amazing, but proportions did not work in the instant pot.
I’m so sorry to hear that you and others are having this issue Katelynn. I’ve made this recipe several times and have had no issues. I’m going to test this out again very soon and see if I can figure out what may be happening. Thank you for the feedback.
Delicioso! I didn’t have any celery, tomato paste or basil (used dried oregano), but this still turned out very well. (No burning. I have the impression that Instant Pots may not all be calibrated equally.) I will certainly check out your other IP recipes.
So happy to hear that Vicki! I’m in love with my IP!
I had this happen as well. Any idea about what could be happening? Thanks!
I’m also frustrated. I have a brand new pressure cooker and I got a burn warning as well. It made a huge mess and I had to cook it on the stove. What kind of lentils did you use? They are many kinds maybe that’s the error?
I’m so sorry Jacqueline – I used brown lentils. I’m definitely going to re-test this recipe. I’m so sorry that so many people are having issues with it.
This was so good! I did get the burn notice once but opened the lid, really scraped the bottom well and pushed the bay leaf to the top so it wasn’t touching, it came right to presssure after that and cooked with no issues. Served with grated cheese over zucchini noodles. Will definitely go in the regular weekly dinner rotation!
I’m so happy to hear that it worked out for you Libby! I’m still a bit confused by the burn error though. That shouldn’t be happening. I will be giving it another test out soon!