Lentil Bolognese

Lentil Bolognese
Recipe courtesy of Beth Ginsberg

Number of servings: 10 1-cup servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups beluga lentils
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 small onion (small dice)
• 2 Tbsp garlic (chopped)
• ¼ cup fennel (small dice)
• ½ cup carrots (peeled and small dice)
• ½ cup red pepper (diced)
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 1 tsp chili flakes **optional depending on desired heat level
• 6 cups tomato sauce
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

To serve: your choice of pasta (figure 2 ounces dry, per serving). Variations to consider: whole wheat, chickpea, almond, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles (zoodles).

Directions:

1. Cook lentils in vegetable stock for about 40 minutes, just until tender but still a bit crunchy. Drain lentils.
2. While lentils are cooking, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil in a large pot.
3. Add remaining vegetables and sauté 30 seconds.
4. Add drained lentils and all remaining ingredients to the pot. Let cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes. Make certain to stir every 5 minutes.
5. If sauce gets too thick, add a little more stock or water.
6. While sauce is cooking, cook pasta per directions on the package.