Lentil bolognese

 Lentil Bolognese

★★★★★

Prep Time: 10 mins  | Cook Time: 45 mins  | Servings: 12 (Scaled 2x) 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onion, diced

8 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried thyme (or use more oregano)

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

300g of tomato paste

6 cups (1440 ml) vegetable broth

2 cups (370g) lentils

1/2 cup (64g) walnuts (or pecans), crushed finely

2 (14.5-ounce/410g) cans of crushed tomatoes

Flat-leaf Italian parsley or fresh basil, chopped or slivered (optional)

Directions:

Heat a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and once it’s shimmering, add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. 

Stir occasionally and cook the onions until a light brown fond starts form on the surface of the pan, about 5 minutes. 

Continue cooking the onions, adding more water every few minutes and stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the onions are softened and golden brown, 9-10 minutes. 

Next, add the garlic, then the herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir frequently and cook for 60-90 seconds.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes to caramelize, stirring very frequently, until it’s darker red in color.

Pour in the broth to deglaze the pan, stirring any browned bits on the bottom of the pot and stirring the broth into the tomato paste to combine. Add the lentils and walnuts, and stir to incorporate. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a rapid simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still al dente, stirring occasionally to prevent burning and sticking.

If using crushed tomatoes, you may need to add a little water or lower the heat as needed to prevent burning.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente. Reserve a ladle or so of pasta water (may not need it). Drain the pasta but do not rinse it.

Taste the bolognese for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with chopped parsley or basil

Note: If you're not serving all of the bolognese at this time, transfer the amount of bolognese sauce you'd like to eat to the pasta pot. Add the hot cooked pasta, turn the heat to medium, and toss to coat. Store the leftover bolognese sauce separately in the fridge.

Source: https://rainbowplantlife.com/10-ingredient-vegan-red-lentil-bolognese/#recipe