High-Protein Lentil and Seitan Bolognese with Whole Wheat Pasta
A fiber-rich dinner delivering 42g protein with complete amino acid coverage through the lentil-seitan combination. Designed for slow digestion and overnight muscle recovery.
Equipment
- 1 Slow cooker (6-quart) Or large Dutch oven
- 1 Large skillet
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 Can opener
- 1 Measuring cups
- 4 Glass meal prep containers (4-cup)
Ingredients
- 8 oz Seitan chopped coarse
- 1 cup Green or brown lentils rinsed
- 28 oz Crushed tomatoes Canned, no salt added
- 1 medium Onion Diced, fine
- 3 cloves Garlic Minced
- 2 medium Carrots Diced
- 2 stalks Celery Diced
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste Concentrated
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning Dried basil, oregano, thyme
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds Optional
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce Umami depth
- 2 cups Vegetable broth Low sodium
- 1 tbsp Olive oil For sautéing
- 12 oz Whole wheat pasta Or legume-based pasta
- ¼ cup Nutritional yeast For cheesy flavor
- 2 tbsp Ground flaxseed Omega-3 addition
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add seitan chunks, searing 3-4 minutes until browned.
- Transfer to slow cooker. In same skillet, sauté onion, carrot, celery 5 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, fennel.
- Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Deglaze with ½ cup broth, scraping brown bits.
- Transfer to slow cooker.
- Add lentils, crushed tomatoes, remaining broth, and soy sauce.
- Stir. Cook LOW 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours until lentils tender.
- Stir in nutritional yeast before serving.
- Serve over cooked pasta, topped with ground flaxseed
Notes
- Store-bought seitan varies in texture. If too soft, sear longer for chewier texture. If making homemade, add 2 tbsp chickpea flour to gluten for better crumb.
- Green/brown lentils hold shape. Red lentils dissolve into sauce. Use green for texture, red for thicker sauce.
- This meal contains 14g fiber. If not adapted to high-fiber diets, start with ½ portion and increase gradually to avoid bloating.
- Lentils are high in lysine but low in methionine. Seitan is high in methionine but low in lysine. Together they provide complete protein coverage equivalent to meat.
- Sauce improves after 24 hours refrigerated as flavors meld. Freezes well up to 3 months. Store pasta separately when meal prepping to prevent mushiness.
- Canned tomatoes and seitan can be high in sodium. Rinse seitan before use and choose no-salt-added tomatoes if monitoring blood pressure.