Yesterday I made lentil bolognese. It was delicious! I had mine with zucchini noodles (zoodles) but any pasta you’d like will do perfectly. I had mine with a little kimchi too, to get some probiotic action going on.
Did you know that lentils are one of the best food choices you can make if you want to eat for the planet? Lentils increase nitrogen and other essential nutrient to the soil during growth. They require less moisture than most crops and prevent soil erosion. By eating lentils you are helping the earth and the environment!
Lentil Bolognese
Serves 4, cooking time is about 30 min
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 small or 1 big celery stalk, diced
- 5 crimini or white mushrooms, chopped or sliced
- 1/2 cup (1 dl) red wine, optional
- 5 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
- 1,5 cups (3.5 dl) water
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- Almost a cup (little more than 1 dl) green or brown lentils
- 1/2 cup (1 dl) chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (honey, coco sugar, chopped date)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
- A couple sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup (1 dl or little more) nutritional yeast, optional
- Some broccoli florets, cauliflower, or kale
Make it like this:
- Sauté onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil over medium heat, in a medium pot or wide, deep skillet, for 3-4 minutes.
- When soft add wine if using, if not substitute water or vegetable broth, and stir well to combine. Add tomatoes and cook with lid on for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until tomatoes start to break down. Add remaining ingredients except walnuts and nutritional yeast.
- Let cook for 20 minutes or so until lentil are soft and sauce is thickening. Add the walnuts and nutritional yeast. Turn off heat and stir well to combine, throw in a few cups of whatever greens into the pasta water in the last minute of cooking and then drain all together. Toss pasta with sauce to coat thoroughly and serve hot. Enjoy!
