I challenge you to find someone who does not like this easy veggie version of a classic spaghetti bolognese. What's more, it's cheap, easy to make and highly nutritious (high in fibre and low in fat). The lentils do an amazing job of mimicking the texture of meat and the porcini mushrooms add a real depth of flavour that will give you a welcome flavour smack round the chops! This dish is packed full of veggie goodness and a perfect midweek meal that the whole family will enjoy; it's the perfect comfort dish with the added benefit that it is REALLY good for you. The sauce will keep well for a couple of days in the fridge and also freezes well (it's also great for stuffing vegetables with!).
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 large carrots, finely grated
2 sticks celery, finely grated
Pinch sea salt, plus more to taste
700g passata
15g dried porcini mushrooms, finely chopped (+150ml hot water)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (or more if you like a little kick)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
200 ml water
200g red lentils, rinsed and drained
20g fresh basil, roughly chopped
50g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
60g of dried spaghetti per person
Directions
Place the chopped porcini mushrooms into a jug and cover with 100ml of hot water. Leave to soak for 25 minutes.
Heat a large, heavy based pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil, butter, diced onion and bay leaves. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly softened and fragrant.
Add the crushed garlic and cook, stirring regularly, for a further 1-2 minutes.
Add the grated carrots and celery and a healthy pinch of sea salt and stir, cooking for 5 minutes more.
Add the porcini mushrooms and their liquid, chilli flakes, oregano, dried basil, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, water, a good crack of black pepper and the lentils.
Finally, stir in the passata and increase the heat slightly, bringing the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are tender, stirring every now and again (add a little more water if mixture gets too thick).
Whilst the sauce is cooking, cook your spaghetti.
Once the lentils are cooked, taste for seasoning, adding more salt or chilli to taste and finally fold in the fresh basil.
Serve the lentil bolognese over the cooked spaghetti and sprinkle over parmesan to finish.
This is such a good dish, I really hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.
x
*If you want to be really virtuous, swap the spaghetti for courgetti!