Lentil & Mushroom Bolognese

This is a staple that I have been making for a few years, and as far as I am concerned is every bit as satisfying as the meaty version. It is hearty, healthy, budget friendly and really easy to make - all things I look for in my everyday cooking. So here's how it goes

• olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 fat cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 oz mushrooms (I use button or portabella), chopped to desired size
• 1 cup lentils, well rinsed
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 3tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Knorr stock cubes
• 2 cups water
• 1 glass red wine
• 1tsp dried basil
• 1tsp dried marjoram
• 1tsp dried oregano

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat and saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for a minute more. Add mushrooms and saute for a couple of minutes more.
2. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils, water and wine and bring to the boil. Throw in the herbs and the stock cubes, then season to taste. After 5 minutes or so give it a little taste and see if the seasoning needs any adjustment.
3. Reduce heat to very low, cover and leave to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. At this point it would be ready to eat, but I like to leave it off the heat for about another hour so that the lentils soak up any additional water and become more tender.
4. Serve over pasta and topped with as much parmesan cheese as your diet allows :-)

I would usually try and use all fresh herbs when making this as it does taste so much better, but this was a spur of the moment dish rather than planned and it still tastes amazing with dried herbs. I did have a small bunch of fresh basil in the fridge though so I threw that in and reduced the dried basil to 1/2 tsp. 

I would also recommend doing a taste test about half an hour into the cooking to see if it requires any more seasoning, and possibly a wee pinch of sugar although that was not required today.

This batch makes about 6 hearty portions and keeps well in the fridge for 3 or 4 days, although I bagged up 4 portions and put them in the freezer to save for a lazy hungry day.

Enjoy!! x