Vegan Bolognese Sauce

Finely chop the onion, carrots, and celery. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and slowly sauté the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, which takes about 8 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and sauté briefly until fragrant.

Stir in the vegan ground meat, increase the heat, and, stirring constantly, break it into smaller pieces and brown it. Add the tomato paste, let it caramelize briefly, then pour in the tomato passata and water or vegetable broth to deglaze the pot. Add the rinsed raw red lentils, rosemary, chopped basil, salt, and pepper.

Reduce the heat to a minimum and let the sauce simmer slowly without a lid for at least an hour. Stir occasionally and add a little water or broth as needed. The vegetables should be completely soft, and the sauce compact and thick.