Lentil Bolognese

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 2 medium carrots (peeled or unpeeled, small diced)
• 1 celery stalk (diced)
• 5 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1/3 cup red wine (or more broth)
• 4 cups vegetable stock or broth
• 1 1/4 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed. (red, brown or green lentils,French lentils or black caviar lentils can be used)
• 1/2 cup finely crushed or ground pecans or walnuts (see notes for nut-free lentil bolognese)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12-16 ounces dried long pasta (such as spaghetti, fettucini, pappardelle or tagliatelle or short tubular pasta.)
• 1 (15-ounces) can crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes and their juice
• 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar (see notes)
• Fresh parsley and/or fresh basil as garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Sauté the onions: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring frequently for about 4-5 minutes or until the onions start to become translucent.

2. 2

   Sauté the aromatics: Stir in the carrots and celery and saute stirring frequently for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute until aromatic, about a minute. Stir in the tomato paste and saute stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until the tomato starts to caramelize and gets a deeper red color. If the tomatoes start getting browned too quickly, lower the heat.

3. 3

   Deglaze and simmer: Deglaze the pan by pouring the wine (or broth) and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated then, add the vegetable stock or broth, the lentils, the nuts, oregano, Italian herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are just tender, stirring a couple of times throughout the cooking process. Note: Cooking time varies depending on size and variety of the lentils. Check the package directions to make sure you don’t over-under cook the lentils. Red lentils cook quicker than most other varieties, sometimes in as little as 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Stir in crushed tomatoes and simmer: Next, uncover the pot and stir in the crushed tomatoes. Bring back to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Then, check for seasoning. Garnish with fresh herbs (optional).

5. 5

   Cook pasta: While the lentils are simmering, in a large pot of generously-salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

6. 6

   Serve tossed with cooked al dente pasta.