Ingredients
- 200 g dry green lentils
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, finely diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced (optional)
- 400 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 garlic clove, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 200 ml dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
- pinch chili flakes (optional)
- 1 x 690g jar pureed tomato passata
- 30-60 ml water, to thin the sauce
- 400 g dried pasta
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the lentils in a saucepan in double the amount of cold water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered until al dente (according to package instructions), about 25 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large deep non-stick skillet (braising pan) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starts to soften. Add a splash of water if needed, to prevent browning.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan. Season with a little salt. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, for 6-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened.
- Add the garlic, thyme, oregano and red wine. Cook, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the wine has reduced by half.
- Add the Worcester sauce, tomato paste, puréed tomato, bouillon, a pinch of chili flakes (if using) the cooked lentils, plus a little water to thin the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to a light simmer.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pasta in a pot of boiling salted water, until al dente. Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
- See tips above for ensuring this recipe is made 100% vegan.
- I choose to cook the lentils separately as this lessens the earthy flavor from cooking them in the sauce. I like to focus on a rich tasting tomato sauce for this recipe. This gives me more control over the consistency of the lentils and I like green lentils as they have a little bite to them still. However, brown lentils also work well for this recipe. This also gives you the option to use already cooked lentils, or canned (drained and rinsed) if you prefer. In my option, dried lentils are the way to go.
- For this recipe I rely on high-quality dried herbs. I use my own Elle Herbs wild thyme and oregano. Both are organically sourced from Greece and have an amazing flavor that really make this sauce special. I you are using fresh herbs, then use 1 tablespoon of each.
- Choose a red wine that you also like to drink, it’ll make the sauce taste better!