Lentil Bolognese Recipe

Serves:

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into cubes
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs of rosemary
200g dried green lentils
Glass of red wine
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
60g walnuts
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Cooked pasta of your choice
Grated cheese, to serve – optional

Method

1. Add the oil to a saucepan over a low heat. Tip in the chopped onion and carrots, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 6 minutes until mostly softened.

2. Stir in the garlic and rosemary sprigs. Cook for another minute until it smells fragrant, then tip in the lentils. Give everything a good stir, then pour in the red wine.

3. When most of the wine has bubbled off, chuck in the chopped tomatoes, then refill one of the tins with water and pour it in. Stir in the tomato purée then leave to cook for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the lentils are soft.

4. When the lentils are nearly cooked, toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until lightly browned and smelling nutty.

5. Allow to cool and roughly chop, then add them to the pan. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and season your bolognese to taste, removing the rosemary sprigs.

6. Serve with cooked pasta and, if you’re like me, loads of grated cheese on top!

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