Lentil Bolognese Gratin
An easy meatless vegan and dairy-free pasta that is filling, creamy, and crispy. No meat but it has the same satisfying feeling with every bite!
This rigatoni bolognese gratin recipe is super filling and has all of the creamy elements but with no dairy! For other hearty entrees try my black bean chilaquiles recipe.
What is a gratin?
The word “gratin” comes from a French word “gratiner” which means “to broil”. A gratin typically refers to a baked dish that forms a crispy crust at the top. The most common gratin dish is probably potatoes au gratin or dauphinoise, a french dish made with layered thinly sliced potatoes. The main difference between a gratin and a regular pasta bake is the depth of the dish, gratins are typically baked in a shallow dish. This lentil bolognese gratin is the perfect combination of creamy and crispy with a broiled layer of dairy-free cheese and panko crust.
Key ingredients for a lentil bolognese gratin
To make this lentil bolognese gratin recipe you just need to make lentil bolognese rigatoni and bake it with a delicious cheese and panko mixture to create the crust. You can even use leftover lentil bolognese for this style of cooking! The recipe I have below works well as a vegan lentil bolognese recipe, just omit the bake part.
The ingredients for this pasta bake is pretty versatile. You can make this your own and use your choice of substitutions or omit ingredients you don’t like.
- Lentils – high in fiber and plant protein. This is the meat substitute for a classic bolognese recipe. I prefer green lentils but you can also use brown or red lentils. Make sure your lentils are fully cooked so you don’t run into any digestion issue. I like to boil my lentils first for 10 minutes, swap out the water, and then boil for another 10 minutes.
- Dairy Free Cheese – I like to use a mix of mozzarella and parmesan but you can mix it up. Of course you can use regular cheese as well
- Tomato Paste & Diced Tomatoes – Gives the dish the intense tomato base for the sauce. The key to making a pasta bake that is moist is ensuring you have enough sauce for your pasta when it is baking in the oven
- Rigatoni Pasta – I love using rigatoni for a pasta bake because it allows a ton of room to absorbs the sauce
Substitutions
- Lentils – Use any type of beans or even meatless substitutes like beyond meat. You can also fold in walnuts for a more hearty bite.
- Rigatoni – Any pasta works here! I’ve made this with both penne and spaghetti
- Dry red wine – I use a splash of dry red wine to deglaze my pot but this is completely optional! If you want to opt out of the wine you can just use water to deglaze
- Panko – use any type of bread crust to mix with the cheese. This is to add an element of crunchy texture to the dis
Tips & Tricks
- Boost your flavor – while both balsamic vinegar and cinnamon are optional, a small amount of each tends to greatly enhance any tomato base dish without needing to add salt
- Boil the pasta al dente – cooking the pasta just a minute or two before the recommended cook time on the label will make sure the pasta is cooked just long enough to finish in the oven
- Cover the entire top with cheese and break mixture – this not only creates a uniform crust but also acts as a seal for maintaining the moist tomato and pasta cooking underneath
- Watch the broil – the last few minutes of making a gratin requires broiling the dish at a high temperature. I recommend monitoring this step with the lights on in the oven so you don’t over broil. If you are not able to broil you can always increase the temperature of the oven and continue baking until the desired level of crust is achieved
Lentil Bolognese Gratin
Pin this RecipeEquipment
- 1 12 inch baking dish or pan
- 1 blender optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils see notes above for substitution
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 14.5 oz canned tomatos
- 4 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp cinnamon optional
- ¼ cup dry red wine optional
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar optional
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 12 oz dried rigatoni pasta see notes above for substitution
- 1 cup shredded vegan parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup panko see notes above for substitution
- ⅛ cup fresh parsley optional
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
Make the lentil bolognese
- Cook the lentils. If using dried lentils, pre-cook the lentils in boiling water. I prefer to boil my lentils for around 20 minutes, swapping out the water at the 10 minute mark.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Follow the instructions of your dried pasta and boil the pasta for 1-2 minutes less the recommended cooking time.
- Prep the vegetables. While the lentils are cooking, dice the onions and crush the garlic.
- Cook the aromatics. In a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, turn the temperature down to medium and add the onions. Cook the onions until they are translucent, around 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and mix well.
- Add spices. Add the thyme, oregano, tomato paste, salt, and optional cinnamon. Mix well so that all the spices and flavors are cooked together. If there are pieces sticking to the bottom and burning, deglaze with the dry red wine.
- Create the sauce. Add the crushed canned tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir gently to mix together all the flavors with the broth. If you prefer a chunky broth you can leave it as is but if you prefer the sauce to be smooth you can use an emulsion blender to blend everything together or transfer the sauce into a blender.
- Mix in the lentils. Add the cooked lentils into the sauce. Reduce the sauce down to a simmer and let the lentils cook in the sauce, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Add pasta. Fold in the al dente pasta. This is the lentil bolognese rigatoni.
Make the pasta gratin
- Set the oven. Preheat the oven to 375℉
- Create the cheese mixture. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cheeses and the panko together. This creates the crispy top.
- Layer everything. Add the lentil bolognese rigatoni mixture to the bottom of the dish making sure to spread everything out evenly. Use up all the sauce so the pasta doesn't dry out during the bake. Add the panko cheese mixture to the top making sure to spread the mixture out evenly across the entire dish.
- Bake. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Broil. Uncover the dish and place it back in the oven. Broil on high for about 5 minutes or until the top is browned to your liking. Tip: watch this carefully as depending on the oven you have this could take less or more time. Please refer to note above if you do not have the option to broil.
- Serve. Serve with fresh cracked black peppers and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
