Vegan Lentil ‘Meat’ Sauce with Portobello Mushrooms

This is one of my favorite vegan lentil recipes, and it was created by my twin sister, Arianna. She has been vegan for 4 years now and being vegan has propelled her into being an amazing cook. Sometimes I’m a little skeptical about trying a vegan version of a meat dish, however, I was so surprised at how much this tastes and feels like meat sauce. She told me there are a couple ways that make this vegan lentil meat sauce taste so meaty. First, baby bella or portobello mushrooms are a must for this sauce because they already have such a meaty flavor and texture. This is why you see people use portobello mushrooms as burgers.

Second is adding soy sauce to the mushrooms while they saute. The dark soy sauce brings out even more meatiness in the mushrooms and gives you that beautiful umami flavor. By using these two simple ingredients, baby bella mushrooms and soy sauce, you will be amazed at how similar this vegan lentil meat sauce tastes like a real meat sauce.

What I also love about this recipe is how versatile it is. This can be used to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s the perfect meal prep food that you can use throughout the week. For breakfast, you can add some of this meat sauce to a saute pan and poach a few eggs in the sauce. This is similar to Shakshuka, a traditional Moroccan breakfast recipe. For lunch, you can simmer this meat sauce with some veggie broth to turn it into a lentil soup. It really is that easy. Lastly for dinner, just eating this lentil meat sauce on top of your favorite pasta is a delicious healthy dinner option.

I want to thank my sister Arianna for sharing this recipe with Mediterranean Living. You can check out more vegan recipes on Mediterranean Living here:

Mediterranean Living Vegan Recipes

Vegan Lentil 'Meat' Sauce with Portobello Mushrooms

George Zikos

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings 8

Calories 217 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup dry lentils
• 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-10 ounces package baby bella mushrooms, finely minced
• 2 carrots, finely minced
• 1 bell pepper, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 small can tomato paste
• 28 ounces can crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Instructions

 

• Boil lentils in salted water according to directions. Drain once soft.
• In a deep pot or dutch oven, add olive oil and onion. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Add salt, oregano, soy sauce, mushrooms, and turn the heat to medium high. Cook until mushrooms have some color.
• Add the carrots, bell pepper, garlic, and 1/3 cup of water to the pot. Cook for 5 more minutes and salt again.
• Add tomato paste and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Add crushed tomatoes, parsley, 1/2 cup of water, walnuts, and the cooked, drained lentils.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for about an hour.

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 10gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 502mgPotassium: 787mgFiber: 11gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 3608IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 4mg

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