Pasta bolognese was a childhood favorite that made its way on to the dinner plate at least once a week. If it wasn’t my mom whipping up her amazing bolognese, it was definitely on the lunch menu in school.
The bolognese isn’t only a popular dish, but we all have our own twist on it. Some people prefer it more tomatoy, while others like it richer with heavy cream and wine. My mom loved it because it made it the perfect dish to sneak in veggies into, such as grated carrots and zucchini. Italian or not, everyone loves a good bowl of hearty bolognese!
Pasta and sauce it a combo that can’t go wrong, and bolognese is probably the most popular sauce to get up close with our dear pasta. The only thing that kinda sucks with a classic bolognese is that the main ingredient is mince. Meat. Beef. Cow. I ain’t about that life, so instead I’m going to share with you a plant based, easy, just as delicious lentil and mushroom bolognese recipe. Not to mention way more nutritious!
Red lentils are perfect as a mince replacement since it tends to break apart when cooked, creating that “mincy” texture. Mushrooms adds some extra chewyness and that umami flavor to tie it all together.
Serve it together with some grated zucchini and fresh spinach to get a pop of freshness, and with a side of your carbohydrate of choice.
Ingredients
1/2 shallot
1 dl red lentils
3 dl water
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Spinach
Tomato paste
Ginger
Black pepper
Turmeric
Cayenne pepper
Curry powder
Salt
Instructions
1. Cut up your onion and fry it in some oil or water until translucent. Add in grated ginger and all the spices.
2. Add in your lentils and the water. Let boil and then lower the heat and let cook for about 10 min. Keep an eye on it and add in some extra water if it gets to dry. You don’t want to burn this bad boy!!
3. Add in your mushrooms and let them wilt down in the lentil stew. Taste off, and add in more spices if you feel like it needs more sting.
4. Squeeze in some tomato paste and mix it all up.
5. Serve lentil bolognese on a bed of spinach and grated zucchini, and voila! Enjoy!
I ate this together with sweet potatoes, but you can feel free to eat it with rice or pasta or whatever you want if you feel like the veggies alone won’t fill you up.
It’s easy peasy to turn your childhood favorites into healthier, plant based alternatives. Not to mention, its way cheaper as well! You simply can’t go wrong with that! If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think about it.