SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE with Mushrooms and Lentil

Spaghetti Bolognese is made with minced meat...but what if you want to do a vegan or vegetarian sauce?

I make many sauces to go with spaghetti. This vegan recipe is light, healthy and full of flavor. The sauce is chunky and even has a bite to it. 

The mushrooms are added at the very beginning to extract the maximum flavour. The lentils are just cooked so that they have a bite to them. The mushrooms may be replaced with soya granules. So, actually this sauce is quite versatile. 

You could turn it into a vegetarian dish by adding cheese to it. That’s your choice.

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SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE with Mushrooms and Lentil          Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

Red Lentils (Masoor dal) – 1/3 cup

Button Mushrooms – 200 g

Tomatoes – 5 large (about 500g)

Onions (chopped finely) – 1 large or 2 medium

Garlic (chopped finely) – 3 to 4 cloves

Capsicum (chopped finely) – 1 medium

Oil (Vegetable or Olive) – 2 tblsp

Parsley (dry or fresh chopped) – 1 ½ tsp

Basil (dry or fresh torn) – 1 ½ tsp or a few leaves

Pepper pdr – ½ tsp

Salt – to taste

Dark Soy sauce – 2 tsp

Tomato ketchup – 2 tblsp

Red Chili pdr – 1 tsp

Maple syrup/Honey – 1 ½  tblsp

Vinegar – ½  tblsp

For the spaghetti:

Spaghetti – 100 g per serving

Water – to cook the spaghetti

Salt – to season the water

For the garnish:

Basil leaves (dried or fresh) – to sprinkle on top

Extra virgin olive oil – to drizzle on top

Method:

1.    Wash and soak the lentils in water for about half an hour. Boil till just done. Drain the water and keep aside.

2.    Wash the mushrooms thoroughly and chop them up finely. Cross slit the tomatoes and blanch them in boiling water. Remove the skin and chop them finely.

3.    Heat the oil in a pan and add in the chopped mushroom. Cook till the water that is released has dried up.

4.    Add in the onions and capsicum. Season with a bit of salt. Cook stirring continuously till the onions become soft and translucent. Lower the heat and add in the garlic. Mix it well and cook for a minute or two.

5.    Now, add in the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper pdr, parsley and basil. Cook till the tomatoes start to sweat. Add in dark soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chili pdr. Mix well, cover and cook on low heat till the tomatoes become soft.

6.    Turn off the heat. Remove half of the mixture and blend it. Put it back into the pan and turn on the heat.

7.    Add in a cup of water, mix well and add in the lentils. Check and adjust the seasoning. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 to 3 mins to get a thick chunky sauce. To finish off add in the maple syrup and vinegar. Turn off the heat and mix it well.

8.    Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet just before serving.

9.    Heat enough sauce to go with the pasta. Put the cooked spaghetti directly from the water into the sauce. Toss well to coat.

10. Place the spaghetti onto a plate and sprinkle some basil leaves, drizzle some olive oil on top and serve immediately.

Note: Some pasta water may be added to the sauce and the cooked spaghetti while mixing them.

© Rinki’s Kitchen