Without a doubt Spaghetti Bolognese has got to be one of my favourite dishes. To the extent that yes if I see it on a menu in a restaurant I’ll think about it 😀 It’s one of those things that I suspect every student learns how to cook as it’ll be their staple meal for the whole week! When it’s done right it’s amazing.
Tonight’s version is of the meat free variety as we’re gradually trying to cut down on the amount of meat in our diets (Not that we eat an excessive amount).
For this recipe you’re going to pretty much need what’s in the photo below.
Rosemary / Thyme / Salt / Pepper
Tinned Tomatoes
Lentils (I’m using from a tin otherwise you’ll need to adjust the cooking time quite a bit)
1 Garlic Clove
1 Decent sized Carrot
1 Tomato
Tomato Puree
A few shallots (or a normal decent sized onion)
First thing is first … get your shallots or onion chopped up and frying away. Add your chopped / mushed up garlic as well. I just used one clove this time.
Dice up your carrots up as well. I want small bits that cook quickly but maintain a little bit of a bite. The smaller they are the quicker they’ll cook but I don’t want them going to mush either as they add a nice texture to the dish.
Add in 1 teaspoon of Rosemary and one teaspoon of Thyme and after a minute or two when your herbes have activated add in your carrots.
Roughly chop your tomato. I’m using a tin of chopped tomatoes so having larger chunks of fresh tomato will add a nice bite. Add in your lentils (I like to rince and drain them first) as well as some tomato paste. Salt and Pepper to taste. You could add a stock cube but I added a pinch of salt instead.
As the lentils I’m using are from a tin and already soft this doesn’t take too long to cook. I’ll give it 15 – 20 minutes, enough so the herbs mix well and the carrots soften a bit.
Get your pasta on. I’ve had a quinoa / curry spaghetti in the cupboard for ages so I decided to use that tonight and I wasn’t disappointed.
Enjoy your meal 🙂
How does it compare to a meaty version? It’s different but very tasty. I’ve also managed to freeze two portions for again and I suspect it’ll go nicely with rice as well as with pasta.
