Big-batch recipe · Vegan
Lentil and walnut bolognese
8 portions, about 21 g of protein in each. 20 minutes of hands-on work and 50 min of cooking.
Where it sits in the week
What this one is for
On the vegan track this is a Sunday cook — the long session, which covers Monday to Wednesday. Cooked once, portioned hot, and eaten across the days that session covers — on the seven-day plan it turns up at Saturday dinner.
Two portions is about 42 g of protein — our own arithmetic on the figure above, not a separate measurement. Protein targets on this site are computed against goal weight or lean mass rather than scale weight, which is the whole of Real Fuel.
Part of the vegan meal plan, cooked in the two-session prep schedule.
What goes in
- 2 cups dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
- 1.5 cups walnuts, chopped fine
- 2 cans (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups vegetable stock
How
- Sweat the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil for 10 minutes until soft — this base is most of the flavour, so do not rush it.
- Garlic and tomato paste in, fried 90 seconds, then the walnuts stirred through to toast slightly.
- Lentils, tomatoes, stock, soy sauce and herbs in. Simmer uncovered 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Balsamic vinegar stirred in at the end, off the heat. Serve over pasta, or over potatoes if you want it lower-fuss.
Keeping it: Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months. It thickens considerably in the fridge — loosen with a splash of stock or water when reheating.
Nothing on this page is medical advice. It is a plan written for general strength training in healthy adults, and any condition or medication you are managing outranks it.
The rest of the vegan week
3 more big-batch recipes on this track, plus the seven-day plan they feed.