Red lentil Bolognese
Bolognese sauce is a combination of minced meat with tomatoes, usually served on pasta. Most of you know the meaty version of this sauce and have had the opportunity to try it at least once in your lives. This time, I want to encourage you to prepare a vegetarian version of Bolognese sauce. The basis of vegetarian Bolognese is red lentil with herbs and tomato sauce. Red Lentil Bolognese is a great idea for a cheap lunch that can be made in just over 30 minutes.
Serve the red lentil Bolognese with pasta. Which pasta to choose? I recommend Fettuccine, Fusilli, Tagliatelle and Rigatoni pasta. On top of that I usually like to serve the Bolognese with a simple side vegetable salad.
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Ingredients for red lentil Bolognese.
- 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
- 200 g red lentil
- 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped chili pepper
- 100 g peeled shallot onion
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1000 g tomato sauce
- 1 flat tablespoon of salt
- 3/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- 3 big cloves of garlic
- 2 big springs of thyme
- 300 ml water
- 1/2 teaspoon of crystal sugar
How to make red lentil Bolognese.
Pour the red lentils into a bowl, add water and set it aside for 15 minutes. Then, change the water, rinse the lentils and pour them through a strainer. Set aside for a while to drain the excess water.
Dice the shallots into small cubes and put them on a large frying pan. Add the mashed garlic, finely chopped chili, thyme and olive oil. Fry over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Next, add the tomato sauce, lentils, salt, pepper, sugar, oregano and water. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the sauce over a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Set aside the finished Bolognese for 15-20 minutes so the sauce can thicken a little more. Serve the red lentil Bolognese with the pasta.
Good to know when making red lentil Bolognese.
It is good to rinse the lentils in at least two sets of water before placing them in a cooking pot. Red lentils do not require pre-soaking in water before cooking.
You can replace the shallots with white or yellow onions.
Powdered paprika can be used instead of the fresh chili pepper. Its quantity, however, must be much lower.
Do you like dishes with lentils? If so, try our recipe for Red lentil soup.
