Recipe of the day: Mushroom and lentil bolognese

A concept that has stayed with many conscious eaters and plant-based eaters, meat free Mondays are sometimes hard to do on a weekly basis. Try this mushroom and lentil bolognese to great for your family.

Making a meal with any meat can be difficult for some, however, there are meat-like ingredients such as mushrooms and lentils. 

Pasta is a heart dish during gloomy days, and this mushroom and lentil pappardelle bolognese by the beloved chef Jamie Oliver is not “too tricky”.

The mushroom and lentil pappardelle is packed with vegetables, you can swap around certain ingredients for the most accessible ingredients near you. Such as the portobello mushrooms, you can use zucchini, bell peppers and aubergine.

Mushroom and lentil bolognese recipe

Ingredients

• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 stick of celery
• olive oil
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• ½ a bunch of fresh thyme
• 4 large portobello mushrooms
• 100 g dried Puy lentils
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 400 ml organic vegetable stock
• 1 x 400 g tin of plum tomatoes
• 350 g dried pappardelle
• ½ a bunch of fresh baby basil
• Parmesan cheese

ALSO TRY: Recipe of the day: Beef and bacon spaghetti bolognese

Method

1. Peel the carrot, onion and garlic, trim the celery and roughly chop. Pulse it all in a food processor, until finely chopped.
2. Heat a good splash of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped veg mixture and bay leaves, pick in the thyme leaves and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until soft.
3. Blitz the mushrooms in the food processor until finely chopped. Add to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until softened.
4. Stir in the lentils, tomato purée and stock, and squish in the plum tomatoes.
5. Season, reduce the heat to low and pop a lid on. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
6. When the lentils are almost done, cook the pappardelle according to the packet instructions, until al dente.
7. Drain the pasta and stir it through the bolognese sauce. Pick the basil leaves and sprinkle over the bolognese with a good grating of Parmesan to serve.

This recipe can be found on jamieoliver.com