This rich and saucy meat-free bolognese is filled with vegetables – the mushrooms add that umami flavour while the lentils add texture, fibre and protein.
This Week
9 Dec - 15 Dec
Meal Prep Guide
Prepare the mushroom and lentil bolognese sauce. (Store in an airtight container in the fridge)
Ingredients
- 1 onion (finely diced)
- 2 carrots (finely diced)
- ¼ bunch celery (2-3 sticks, finely sliced)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2-3 Tbsp fresh herbs (we used rosemary, thyme and oregano) or 1 Tbsp dried
- 1 tsp paprika
- 250g button mushrooms (sliced)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp brown or coconut sugar
- ¾ cup dried brown lentils
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Add about 2 Tbsp of olive oil to a large heavy-based pot over medium heat, then add onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper.
- Cook for 10 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until the vegetables have reduced in size and start to nicely brown.
- Add the garlic, herbs and paprika, cook for 2 minutes stirring through the vegetables.
- Add the mushrooms; cook for 5 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until the mushrooms have reduced in size and start to nicely brown.
- Add the tomato paste, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables in the paste and starts to slightly stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, sugar and lentils; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine everything, then bring to the boil before reducing to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for 45 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until you have a rich, thick sauce and the lentils have cooked. Allow to cool before placing into a container and into the fridge.
Tips
Tips
- The bolognese sauce freezes well – make extra and freeze in portion size for an easy dinner in the future.
- The bolognese sauce is also a perfect replacement for a meat sauce in lasagna.
- It’s important to boil plenty of water for the pasta. It helps the water come back to a boil faster after the pasta is added. It also makes it easier to submerge your pasta, ensuring even cooking.
Shortcuts
Vegetables
- Add any vegetables left in your fridge – broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, capsicum and eggplant would all work. Make sure to cut them to a similar size as the other vegetables.
- Add extra mushrooms if you are a big fan of them!
Protein
- Swap lentils for 500-600g of mince. Add the mince after you add and cook the mushrooms. Remove the vegetables from the pan then increase the heat to high, add the beef mince and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the meat is browned all over and any liquid has evaporated from the mince. Add the vegetables back into the pot and cook as you usually would but reduce stock to 1 cup.
Other
- For a gluten free variation use a gluten free pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 onion (finely diced)
- 2 carrots (finely diced)
- ¼ bunch celery (2-3 sticks, finely sliced)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2-3 Tbsp fresh herbs (we used rosemary, thyme and oregano) or 1 Tbsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 tsp paprika
- 250g button mushrooms (sliced)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp brown or coconut sugar
- ¾ cup dried brown lentils
- 350g pappardelle pasta
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
To serve
- Basil (optional)
- Parmesan (optional)
Method
- Add about 2 Tbsp of olive oil to a large heavy-based pot over medium heat, then add onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper.
- Cook for 10 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until the vegetables have reduced in size and start to nicely brown.
- Add the garlic, herbs and paprika, cook for 2 minutes stirring through the vegetables.
- Add the mushrooms; cook for 5 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until the mushrooms have reduced in size and start to nicely brown.
- Add the tomato paste, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables in the paste and starts to slightly stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, sugar and lentils; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine everything, then bring to the boil before reducing to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for 45 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until you have a rich, thick sauce and the lentils have cooked.
- While the sauce is cooking, prepare a pot of boiling and salted water for the pasta. Once you are ready to serve, cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Reserve one cup of pasta water – if you would like a thinner sauce, add enough water to get the sauce to the consistency you’d like.
- Toss the pasta through the sauce.
- Top with parmesan and scatter over basil (optional)
Variations
Vegetables
- Add any vegetables left in your fridge – broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, capsicum and eggplant would all work. Make sure to cut them to a similar size as the other vegetables.
- Add extra mushrooms if you are a big fan of them!
Protein
- Swap lentils for 500-600g of mince. Add the mince after you add and cook the mushrooms. Remove the vegetables from the pan then increase the heat to high, add the beef mince and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the meat is browned all over and any liquid has evaporated from the mince. Add the vegetables back into the pot and cook as you usually would but reduce stock to 1 cup.
Other
- For a gluten free variation use a gluten free pasta.
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