This easy green lentil bolognese is one of the most inexpensive yet satisfying main dishes ever. As it cooks low and slow in the crockpot, the hearty lentils soften and soak up so much flavor. It’s also completely vegan, makes the best leftovers, and even freezes great for a super simple meal whenever! {Gluten-free & vegan}

Table of Contents
Easy Slow Cooker Lentil Bolognese
Bolognese is a traditional Italian sauce normally served over spaghetti or pasta with parmesan cheese. If you’re plant-based or just trying to eat less meat, this recipe is a fantastic way to get a similar flavor but without any plant or animal products.
Plus, it uses everyday pantry staples, like dried lentils, coconut milk, and tomato sauce, so it’s affordable and convenient, too!
For more vegetarian crockpot meals, you’ll love this Italian White Bean Soup with Pasta, Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dahl and Lentil Bean Chili!
Featured Comment
“Very easy and delicious recipe. I did sauté the garlic and onions ahead of time. I’ll definitely make it again and maybe double it to have some to freeze.” – Karol

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Lentil Bolognese Recipe
- Dump everything in the crockpot and go!
- Even little kids (and picky eaters) will go back for seconds
- Great over a bed of pasta, but you can also eat it with rice or other starches
- Perfect for meal prep (you can freeze for months!)
- Naturally vegan and vegetarian option
- Packed with plant-based protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and more
- Developed by a Registered Dietitian to be nutritionally balanced for the whole family
- Tastes great over whole wheat pasta and will keep you full for hours
Ingredient Notes

- Dried green lentils: The lentils are the star of this dish and replace the meat in your classic bolognese sauce. Either green or brown lentils can be used interchangeably. Unfortunately, red lentils are split in half and will break down too quickly for this recipe.
- Spices: The cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes are key to this recipe because they add so much additional flavor to the rich tomato sauce. Add more red pepper flakes if you prefer a little more of a spicy kick!
- Coconut milk: Coconut milk is definitely not in traditional bolognese but it’s the secret ingredient that makes this sauce more rich and velvety. Use full-fat canned coconut milk for the best texture and flavor. You can also sub in lite coconut milk if that’s what you have on hand.
- Tomato sauce: I used canned tomato sauce for the homemade marinara sauce. The brand I used contains tomatoes, garlic and salt. Look for one with minimal processed ingredients and lower in sodium if possible.
- Spinach: Spinach is a great way to incorporate those dark green leafy vegetables! I used frozen spinach nuggets since the spinach is finely chopped which makes it more subtle and kid-friendly. Feel free to sub in a couple of handfuls of fresh chopped baby spinach instead if desired. It’s a great way to use up spinach that’s about to go bad!
How to Make Green Lentil Bolognese – Step-by-Step



- Add some olive oil to a pan or slow cooker if your crock pot has a “sautee” function and cook the onions and garlic over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
- Serve warm over pasta or rice with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and parmesan cheese, if desired.
Expert Tips
- If you’d like to cook up the onions and garlic before adding them to the slow cooker to add more depth of flavor, you can certainly do so. Add some olive oil to a pan or the slow cooker if your crock pot has a “sautee” function and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
- Use dry green or brown lentils for best results. If you use red split lentils, they will turn out mushy. We want the lentils to retain their shape to resemble the texture of a meat sauce.
- The lentils tend to absorb the liquid the longer that it sits which means that the sauce can get quite thick. If you want to thin out your sauce or make it more creamy, add a bit more broth or coconut milk. Add some additional spices to compensate if you do add more liquid.
- If you want the lentil bolognese sauce to have more heat, increase the amount of red pepper flakes, adding a small amount at a time, until desired level of heat is achieved.

Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you don’t want to make this recipe in the slow cooker, you can make a one pot bolognese in a sauce pan on the stove instead.
To do so, heat some olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant. Add the broth, tomato sauce, coconut milk, lentils, spices and spinach and stir. Bring the mixture to a light simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until lentils are cooked.
This recipe makes the perfect freezer meal! You can freeze it one of two ways.
You can either place all of the ingredients raw into a ziploc bag or container and freeze for up to three months. When ready to cook, thaw it out in a large bowl of water for a couple of minutes and dump the mixture into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Alternatively, you can cook the sauce and freeze it in an air-tight container for up to three months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge for 24 hours or place container in a bowl of water to defrost. Follow the reheating instructions above!
For sure! This sauce recipe is fairly basic to keep it nice and simple, but feel free to add more vegetables to incorporate even more texture, flavor and nutrients.
Vegetables that would work well include peppers, zucchini, shredded carrot and mushrooms!

Storage Guidelines
Let any leftover bolognese sauce cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to four days.
To reheat: Place mixture in a sauce pan on the stove top over low heat until heated through. Just make sure that you stir it frequently so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. You can also dump it back in the crock pot and adjust it on the warm setting. You may also wish to add a bit more broth or coconut milk if the mixture has thickened up too much.
Serving Suggestions
There are a number of ways to serve this vegetarian lentil bolognese. We typically enjoy it over a bed of whole-grain pasta with some parmesan cheese (feel free to use vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast, if you’re vegan). It’s also nice over rice, quinoa, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or cauliflowerw rice.
To take it over the top, sprinkle some fresh basil or parsley on top. Offer it with a side salad, like this Tossed Green Salad, Vegan Caesar Salad or a refreshing Spring Mix Salad (vegetarian).
Recipe Variations
- Play with seasonings: Feel free to add more seasonings, if you’d like. Bolognese typically tastes great with garlic powder, onion power, bay leaf, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and more.
- Add more veggies: There are so many ways to load this lentil pasta sauce with veggies! It’s perfect with some bell peppers, grated zucchini, finely chopped cauliflower or broccoli, and more. This is an easy way to incorporate lots of vegetables.
- Add some umami flavor: For extra umami flavor, add a dollop of tomato paste, a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, or balsamic vinegar.
- Thin it out: If the sauce ends up being too thick, thin it out with a little low sodium vegetable broth.

More Lentil Recipes You’ll Love
- Carrot and Lentil Soup
- Red Curry Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach
- Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos
- Greek Lentil Salad
- Lentil Pesto Pasta Salad
- Lentil Veggie Cups
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!

Vegan Green Lentil Bolognese {Slow Cooker}
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dry green or brown lentils
- 6 ounces frozen spinach (or a couple of handfuls of fresh chopped baby spinach)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional garnishes
- Fresh basil or parsley
- Sprinkle of mozzarella or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add some olive oil to a pan or slow cooker if your crock pot has a "sautee" function and cook the onions and garlic over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Serve warm over pasta, rice or quinoa with a sprinkle of parsley or parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- If you’d like to cook up the onions and garlic before adding them to the slow cooker to add more depth of flavour, you can certainly do so. Add some olive oil to a pan or the slow cooker if your crock pot has a “sautee” function and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
- Use dry green lentils for best results. If you use red split lentils, they will turn out mushy. We want the lentils to retain their shape to resemble the texture of a meat sauce.
- The lentils tend to absorb the liquid the longer that it sits which means that the sauce can get quite thick. If you want to thin out your sauce or make it more creamy, add a bit more broth or coconut milk. Add some additional spices to compensate if you do add more liquid.
- If you want the lentil bolognese sauce to have more heat, increase the amount of red pepper flakes, adding a small amount at a time, until desired level of heat is achieved.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in October 2020 and the photos, text and formatting were updated in January 2025. The recipe was also slightly adapted to include a bit more broth and garlic.
Do you know how many oz for the frozen spinach?
I would say it would probably be around 6 ounces of frozen spinach. Hope that helps!
Very easy and delicious recipe. I did sauté the garlic and onions ahead of time. I’ll definitely make it again and maybe double it to have some to freeze.
So happy you enjoyed the recipe! This would definitely be a great one to double and freeze for later! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a rating and review :)