Lentil and Mushroom Bolognese

Mushrooms, Red Lentils & some classic pantry staples come together in this recipe to give you a low fat, healthy and utterly delicious Meat-Free Bolognese alternative.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings:

Calories: 74kcal

Author: Yasmin

Equipment

Chopping Board
Food Processor
Large Saucepan
Sharp Knife
Wooden Spoon

Ingredients

2 Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1 Red or White Onion
4 cups Chestnut Mushrooms
5 cloves Garlic Large
2 tins Chopped Tomatoes
½ cup Dried Red Lentils
4 tablespoon Soy Sauce
3 tablespoon Tomato Puree
2 tablespoon Miso Paste Light or Dark
1 tablespoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Mixed Herbs Sub for ½ tablespoon dried Thyme if preferred
1 cube Veg Stock Low salt option for infants under 2
Black Pepper to taste (start with a pinch of)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chop the Carrots, Celery and Onion in to medium sized chunks, and peel the Garlic Cloves. Then place it all in the Food Processor.
2 Carrots, 2 Celery Stalks, 1 Red or White Onion, 5 cloves Garlic
Blitz until everything is very finely chopped. You may need to scrape down the sides half way through if any large pieces have stuck to the side of the Food Processor. This should take about 60-90 seconds.
Cook the vegetable mixture for 5 minutes on a medium heat, stirring frequently. Due to the high water content of the vegetables, there is no need to add an oil to the pan.
Add in the Mixed Herbs and Oregano and stir well so the herbs and vegetables are well combined. Leave to cook for a further 2-3 minutes whilst you prepare the Mushrooms.
1 tablespoon Dried Oregano, 1 teaspoon Mixed Herbs
Blitz until the Mushrooms are very finely chopped and resemble a meaty texture. Be sure not to over mix the Mushrooms as they can begin to form a paste if you do. 1 minute should be adequate, and as with the vegetables, you may need to stop half way and scrape the mushrooms down from the sides of the Food Processor with a spatula if large lumps are sticking to the sides.
4 cups Chestnut Mushrooms
Add the blitzed Mushrooms to the saucepan and stir.
Add in the Miso Paste, Soy Sauce, Tomato Puree. Then crumble in the Vegetable Stock Cube. Stir everything together well, and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently.
4 tablespoon Soy Sauce, 2 tablespoon Miso Paste, 1 cube Veg Stock
Add the Red Lentils and stir well.
½ cup Dried Red Lentils
Add the tins of chopped Tomatoes and the Tomato Puree. Stir well and simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes. Due to there being a lot of high water content vegetables in this recipe (carrots, celery, mushrooms), this needs a good simmer to evaporate a lot of the excess water. It also lets the flavours develop nicely.
2 tins Chopped Tomatoes, 3 tablespoon Tomato Puree
Add Black pepper to taste. This is down to your personal preference. We use about half a teaspoon.
Black Pepper

Notes

Recipe Tip

If you don't have a food processor, you can choose to finely chop all the vegetables instead. This will result in a different texture in your final dish, but the flavour will be the same, and your meal will still be delicious.
Check your Bolognese prior to serving to ensure all vegetables are cooked through, and are no longer firm. If the Vegetables are still firm, cook for a further 10 minutes and test again. Repeat at 5 minute intervals until your desired texture is reached. The cooking time will depend on how large or small you have diced your vegetables.

Nutrition