Walnut and Bean Bolognese

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This walnut and bean bolognese is an easy veggie version of spaghetti bolognese, made only with store cupboard ingredients!

Portion of vegan bean bolognese mixed through spaghetti.

A good spaghetti bolognese has got to be one of my favourite dinners – such a classic that never fails to make me feel warm and cosy. This walnut and bean bolognese is an easy vegetarian version that’s super satisfying and full of flavour.

Vegan walnut and bean bolognese in a frying pan with a wooden spoon.

Store cupboard recipe

Usually when I’m developing recipes for the blog, I’ll plan out a shopping list beforehand to make sure I’ve got all the ingredients I need. But this walnut and bean bolognese was a real store cupboard recipe, made only with ingredients I already had in the pantry.

I bet you’ll have most of the ingredients at home already too – and if not, the recipe can easily be adapted to suit what you’ve got.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy vegan bolognese:

  • onions and garlic
  • tinned lentils and cannellini beans
  • a few dried herbs and spices
  • tinned tomatoes and tomato puree
  • walnuts
Portion of walnut and bean bolognese neatly spooned on top of spaghetti in a bowl.

Bean and lentil bolognese

I always have various tins of beans and lentils in my kitchen cupboards – they’re so insanely versatile.

You can use dried beans and lentils if you prefer, but I love how easy the tinned varieties are to use. No soaking or boiling necessary, just throw a couple of tins into a pan with some sautéed onions and garlic, and your lentil bolognese is already halfway done.

Beans and lentils cooking in a frying pan.

Simple tomato sauce

Next, add some tinned tomatoes and tomato puree. A few dried herbs and spices help to add plenty of flavour – I used my beloved smoked paprika, as usual, as it gives a lovely subtle smokiness to the sauce.

If you don’t have any tinned tomatoes to hand, feel free to use a shop-bought jar of tomato sauce instead if you have some. Or make a big batch of slow cooker tomato sauce, so you’ve got some on hand for all sorts of recipes.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can just throw in whatever you have. It’s really hard to make a bad spaghetti bolognese.

Lentils and beans cooking in a frying pan with tinned tomatoes.

Walnut bolognese

The only other main ingredient in this vegan bolognese is the walnuts.

I’ve often used walnuts, along with beans or lentils, to make vegetarian mince (like I did here, in my vegetarian savoury mince). They add a beautiful texture – after being left to cook in the tomato sauce, they’re not super hard and crunchy, but they do still give the meal a really lovely bite.

If you don’t have any walnuts, you can skip them, but they are a really lovely part of the recipe, so I’d leave them in if you can!

Let everything bubble away for a little while until the sauce is nice and rich, and the beans and walnuts have softened up. It will all cook down into a thick, tasty sauce.

Rich tomato sauce in a frying pan with lentils and beans.

Spaghetti bolognese

Obviously, a bolognese sauce isn’t complete without a big heap of spaghetti to serve it with.

You can either serve your bolognese sauce dolloped neatly on top of your spaghetti, or mix it all together in one big messy bowlful. Either way is equally delicious.

Your method of eating spag bol probably says a lot about you as a person, but I’m not quite sure what. I’m more drawn to the messy bowlful, so take from that what you will!

Collage showing vegan bolognese sauce neatly placed on top of a bowl of spaghetti, and all mixed in.

How can I adapt this recipe?

Since the aim of this recipe is to be something you can make with whatever you’ve got in the cupboards, there are all sorts of ways you can make it your own:

  • add whatever vegetables you have in the fridge or freezer – mushrooms, peppers, peas, green beans, etc.
  • or, add grated vegetables, that will be practically hidden in the sauce – grated courgette (zucchini), grated carrot, etc.
  • swap the tinned tomatoes for a jar of shop-bought sauce
  • use whatever beans you have in the cupboard – black beans, chickpeas, etc.
  • skip the walnuts, or swap them for cashew nuts or pine nuts
Vegan bolognese sauce in a frying pan with a wooden spoon.

How can I use up leftover bolognese sauce?

If you happen to have any bolognese sauce left over, don’t let it go to waste! Here are some good ideas for how to use up leftover bolognese:

Or, pretty much anywhere you’d usually use a plain tomato sauce, use this protein-rich bolognese sauce instead. Even on pizza!

Have I inspired you to try this walnut and bean bolognese?

Portion of vegan spaghetti bolognese mixed together in a bowl topped with cheese and parsley.

Walnut and Bean Bolognese

This walnut and bean bolognese is an easy veggie version of spaghetti bolognese, made only with store cupboard ingredients!

If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!

4.84 from 6 votes
Print Pin Comment
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 458kcal
Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 390 g tin green lentils, drained (235g, or ~ 1 cup, when drained)
  • 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp dried herbs (e.g. dried parsley / dried mixed herbs)
  • Salt (or a crumbled vegetable stock cube)
  • Black pepper
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste)
  • 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
  • 90 g (~ 1 cup) walnut halves, chopped
  • Spaghetti, to serve

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and garlic, and cook for a few minutes over a medium heat, until softened. Add the drained tins of lentils and cannellini beans, along with the paprika and dried herbs. Season generously, and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the beans are soft and everything is starting to break down. You can mash some of the beans with the back of the spoon for a finer texture.
  • Add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and chopped walnuts, and bring to a simmer. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has become thick and rich, and the walnuts have softened a little. You can add a splash of water if the sauce starts to become too dry.
  • Serve with spaghetti.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Walnut and Bean Bolognese
Amount Per Serving (1 portion)
Calories 458 Calories from Fat 230
% Daily Value*
Fat 25.6g39%
Saturated Fat 2.2g11%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 66mg3%
Potassium 974mg28%
Carbohydrates 42.1g14%
Fiber 16.1g64%
Sugar 7.3g8%
Protein 18.5g37%
Calcium 63mg6%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

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9 Comments

  1. Adapted a bit as store cupboard was found to be lacking, but fairly tasty & I liked the crunchy texture of the walnuts. Had leftovers 2 days later & much denser flavour, so perhaps make it & leave it overnight. Served with rice second day. Yummy4 stars

  2. This is really easy to make and so delicious. I loved the texture of the walnuts. Added some vegan Parmesan to serve. Made the recipe for 4, ate 2 portions and froze 2. Will definitely make this again.5 stars

  3. Made this recipe for lunch today and I must say I’ll definitely do it again! Super quick and easy to make, and also delicious while being packed with iron and protein. 5 stars

  4. Another one for our meal plan this week, love the idea of adding walnuts. I’m off to stalk the rest of your blog some more, you have so many great recipes that will really help me out over the coming weeks!5 stars