Rich Lentil Bolognese
Top Foodie Tip: Forget calorie counting, the best way to stay healthy is to eat lots of veggies and lean proteins and avoid processed foods wherever possible. A great way to do this is by incorporating more plant-based dishes into our diets; packed full of vegetables and protein from lentils, this Lentil Bolognese recipe is so easy to make, is super healthy and fantastic.
This recipe makes 6 portions and can be frozen.
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 mins.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of rapeseed or olive oil
- 2 medium sized onions, finely diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 250 g (1 punnet) chestnut mushrooms, very finely diced
- 1 teaspoon each of sea salt and sugar
- 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tablespoons tomato puree
- 200 g (1 cup) red lentils
- 500 ml of organic vegetable stock (I love Kallo)
- 1 400g tin of plum tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of Marmite
- 1 tablespoon each of dried basil and oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 small sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn
- 75g of whole wheat spaghetti per person
Method
- Heat the oil in a large, lidded cooking pot over a low-medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften (about 3 minutes). Add the red pepper, carrots sea salt, and sugar. Sauté over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes, until caramelized.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the mushrooms and celery, then add to the pot once the other veggies have been cooking for approximately 20 minutes. Stir well and continue to cook, until the mushrooms have wilted (don’t skip this bit!). Add the garlic, tomato paste and stir well, then add the lentils.
- Next, add the stock, tinned tomatoes and then get seasoning; add the Marmite, dried oregano and basil, sun-dried tomatoes, lots of black pepper and the bay leaves. Stir well. Reduce to a simmer, cook with the lid on for 30 minutes. Check, then cook for a final 30 minutes with the lid off.
- Serve with whole wheat spaghetti and top with roughly torn fresh basil leaves!