Red Lentil Bolognese

Bolognese is comfort food at its finest. But can you really have bolognese without the meat? Absolutely! This red lentil bolognese is full of flavour and the perfect accompaniment to pasta.

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive/vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• Vegetable stock cube + boiled water
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Red lentils (measure by eye for how big a serving you would like)
• 1/3^rd of a red pepper, diced
• A dash of balsamic vinegar (optional)

Recipe:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion, carrots, celery then garlic and stir until softened
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree to the saucepan and stir. Using the empty tomato tin, dissolve the stock cube with enough water to fill the tin and add to the pan (being careful not to burn your hands!)
3. Add the red lentils and stir through. Let the mixture gently simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Towards the end of cooking, add the red pepper and balsamic vinegar if using.
5. Season and serve with spaghetti, or ‘courgetti’ – grate a courgette into long ribbons and boil for roughly 3-5 minutes until the texture resembles pasta – delicious!

You could also spice up this recipe by adding some paprika or chilli powder into the mix!