Lentil Bolognese
Ingredients
Serves 8- 3 tbspolive oil
- 2onions, finely chopped
- 3carrots, finely diced
- 3celery sticks, finely diced
- 500gchestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
- 80gwalnuts, finely chopped
- 5garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tbsptomato puree
- 2 tspdried oregano
- 400gdried green lentils, rinsed
- 2 x 400gtins chopped tomatoes
- 1.2litres vegetable stock
- 2bay leaves, optional, removed before serving (optional)
- 2 tbspbalsamic vinegar
- 30gbasil, leaves torn
- fine salt
- black pepper
- 700 gdried spaghetti, about 87 g per serving
Method
- Heat the olive oil in your largest pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery with a teaspoon of salt and cook for 10 minutes until soft and sweet with no colour.
- Turn the heat up, add the mushrooms and walnuts and cook for 8 minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid, the pan is dry again and they are starting to brown. Do not rush this; wet mushrooms make a watery sauce.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato puree and oregano for 2 minutes until the puree darkens a shade.
- Add the lentils, chopped tomatoes, stock, optional bay leaves and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid half on for 35 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape and the sauce is thick enough to coat pasta. Add a splash of water if it catches before the lentils are done.
- Fish out the bay leaves. Season with plenty of pepper and taste; if it is rich but flat, another splash of vinegar will wake it up. Stir in most of the basil.
- Cook about 87 g dried spaghetti per person for the packet time, reserving a cup of cooking water. Toss with the same proportion of sauce and enough cooking water to coat. Finish with the remaining torn basil. Cook only the pasta needed for this meal.
- Cool the rest of the sauce within 2 hours and freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat on the hob until piping hot, with a splash of water. Cook the pasta fresh on the night.
Per serving
- kcal
- 670
- protein
- 29.6g
- fibre
- 8g
- carbs
- 108g
- fat
- 14.6g
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