Tuesday 14 October 2014

Recipes: Lentil Bolognese


I am not sure why I have had so much trouble finding a good lentil bolognese recipe.  In the past I think the recipes I have tried have always turned out either too watery or not seasoned properly or just bleurgh.  The thing is, lentil bolognese is a CHEAP way to get loads of good STUFF since red lentils are jam packed with fibre, iron, vitamin b and protein so I would like to actually ENJOY eating it.  

I plan vegetarian dishes for about half of our dishes and something like lentil bolognese, where I can make a pretty decent sized pot for not too much money, is a great way to bulk out my Meal Plan.  I came across THIS RECIPE on the Tesco Real Food site and thought I would try it out...with a few tweaks. 

It was REALLY GOOD, it tasted like Bolognese, it had the consistency and texture of Bolognese, it stuck to and coated the pasta, I will make it again.  

Of course, it is my tweaks that have made it the way it is (yeah...right) so here's what I did: 

LENTIL BOLOGNESE 

Ingredients 
1 tin of chopped tomatoes 
1 small onion, finely chopped 
1 clove garlic, finely chopped, 
150g red lentils, rinsed 
320g jar of Dolmio Bolognese Pasta Sauce (or your favourite brand BUT it needs to be a thick sauce)
1 tsp bouillon powder (we like Marigold Swiss Bouillon) 
good handful of grated parmesan cheese

Method: 

gently fry onion and garlic in a little bit of oil until soft, add lentils and coat in the oil.  
sprinkle in bouillon powder and then add in chopped tomatoes and pasta sauce. 
bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender and falling apart, about 30-40 mins, stirring every 10 mins. 
add a splash of water if it looks dry. 
when the lentils are cooked add in the cheese and good pinch of black pepper and stir to melt the cheese into the sauce. 

serve with your favourite pasta shape. 

this sauce freezes well and also keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. 


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