Lentil & Mushroom Bolognese

• Fry the onion in a large pan on medium heat 2 mins

• Add the garlic, herbs, spices, salt & pepper. Cover and fry for another 5 mins

• Add the chopped tomatoes and the passata and mix well

• Stir in the lentils and simmer covered on low for 10 minutes

• Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes

• Taste and adjust - add some spice if you fancy, sprinkle in a little sugar to take the edge off the tomatoes’ acidity, or add a little salt to bring out your flavours.

Serve on top of spaghetti and grate a bunch of cheese over the top.

Great on toast and mashed potato too!

OPTIONAL ADJUSTMENTS:

I also often use TVP (texturised vegetable protein) in this recipe, I half the lentils and put 50g of TVP instead, or I just chuck in a few handfuls to extra protein and extra texture.

You can also chop up celery, carrots and any other left over veg and add it in - this is just a quick simple base bolognese for weeknight meals. I use it in cottage pie and lasagne recipes too!

Don’t worry too much about measurements - if you have a 750ml passata bottle just chuck it in! You can always thin out your bolognese by adding water/veg stock or thicken it up by simmering it longer. Be flexible, learn how you like things to be done