Lentil Bolognese Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oil and bacon (if using) in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium, stirring, until bacon starts to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add harissa paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darkened in color, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping up browned bits and stirring occasionally, until wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• If using whole tomatoes, use kitchen shears or a pairing knife to burst each in the can (this will prevent juice from squirting on your shirt when you crush them). Add to pot, crushing with your hands as you go; add any juices remaining in can. If using diced tomatoes, add directly to pot along with juices. Stir to combine, then fill can almost to the top with water and pour into pot, swirling to get all the extra tomato juices out of the can. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat.
• Set aside ½ cup lentils for serving. Add remaining lentils to sauce. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and flavors come together, 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and purée sauce with an immersion blender until almost smooth in some places but chunky in others. (Alternatively, purée half of sauce in a blender until almost smooth, then stir back into sauce in pot.) Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until not quite al dente, about 1 minute less than package directions.
• Using a spider or tongs, transfer pasta to sauce and add butter and ½ cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook, stirring constantly and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until sauce thickens enough to coat pasta and pasta looks glossy, about 1 minute.
• Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with reserved lentils and Parmesan (if using).
• Do ahead: Sauce can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat, adding a little water to thin if needed, before serving.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook gently for 15-20 mins until everything is softened. Stir in the lentils, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, herbs and stock. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 40-50 mins until the lentils are tender and saucy - splash in water if you need. Season.
• If eating straight away, keep on a low heat while you cook the spaghetti, following pack instructions. Drain well, divide between pasta bowls or plates, spoon sauce over the top and grate over some cheese. Alternatively, cool the sauce and chill for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Simply defrost portions overnight at room temperature, then reheat gently to serve.

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in red bell pepper and carrot; cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until softened, about 2 minutes.
• Pour wine into the pot; simmer until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir in diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring sauce to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors combine, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in lentils, paprika, basil, oregano, dried herbs, and nutmeg; cook until lentils are heated through, about 5 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the carrots, celery, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms have cooked down and are turning golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add the wine and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic and stir to combine, then add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, lentils, basil, oregano, rosemary, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
• Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 40 minutes, until the bolognese is thickened.
• Serve the bolognese over the pasta, or, for a lighter option, use zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
• Garnish with parsley.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Put all the sauce ingredients in a measuring jug, top up to 400ml with hot water and mix well.
• In a wok or large pan, fry the onions, carrot, courgette and garlic over a low to medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, until the onions are softened and golden.
• Add the sauce, tomatoes and lentils to the pan and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle according to the packet instructions.
• Drain the tagliatelle (reserve a little water if needed to loosen the sauce). Add to the lentils and sauce, mix well and serve, garnished with the cheese.
• For vegetarian option, use vegetable stock and omit Worcestershire Sauce (or replace with 1tsp Marmite)

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, carrot and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until soft.
• Add the tin of tomatoes, oregano and the lentils. Add about half of the stock, so the mixture has a soupy consistency.
• Simmer for about 20 minutes, adding the pepper and any other veg you fancy after 10 minutes. Add more stock if the lentils become dry.
• Serve when the lentils are soft and there is not too much excess liquid.

Steps:

• 1. In a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook slowly until the vegetables soften and turn golden, about 20 minutes.
• 2. Increase heat to medium-high and add the tomato paste. Cook until the mixture dries out a bit, about 3 minutes. Pour in the reserved juice from the tomatoes and cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid has reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes.
• 3. Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Season with the salt and pepper and simmer until the lentils are tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the lentils. (If the sauce begins to dry out, add additional water as needed.) Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
• 4. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain. Serve with the lentil sauce, sprinkle with the pecorino, and garnish with the basil, if desired.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan gently fry the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the oil for about 5 mins, until they are soft.
• Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, herbs and seasoning.
• Bring the mixture to a boil then partially cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes until thick and soft.