Recipe: Super Simple Lentil Bolognaise

This one’s a go-to mid-week dinner at my house – simple, cheap and packed with goodness! You can mix it up with the vegetables you add in, but I’ve included the veg that I most frequently put into mine.

A note on the lentils: I’ve written the recipe as including 2 cans of lentils, as I wanted this to be an easy recipe that doesn’t require too much forethought. That said, if you’re well organised, you can switch the canned lentils for dried - just make sure you soak them. To soak, cover one cup of dry lentils with filtered water, add in a pinch of salt or a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and cover with a cloth overnight. When you’re ready to cook them, rinse your lentils thoroughly in running water, as you would do with canned lentils.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small brown onion, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 cans organic brown lentils – thoroughly drained in running water

1 carrot, peeled and diced

½ a head of broccoli, cut into florets

1 cup button mushrooms, sliced

1 zucchini, diced

1 cup frozen peas

1 bottle passata 

A big handful of fresh basil (or dried basil to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked pasta of choice (I like the brown rice pasta from Naked Foods)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add in the diced onions and crushed garlic and sauté until soft.

2. Add in the mushrooms and carrot and sauté until the carrots have begun to soften (around 4 or 5 minutes)

3. Add in the broccoli, peas, zucchini, lentils and any other vegetables you would like to include in your sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes. 

4. Add in the passata/ pasta sauce and herbs. Stir through well and continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes, ensuring all the vegetables are soft and ready to eat. Add in salt and pepper if required.

5. Serve over your cooked pasta of choice. Delish!

About the Author

Lizzie Stow is a degree-qualified naturopath from Newcastle, Australia.

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