Lentil Ragu

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword lentil bolognese, lentil ragu, vegan ragu, vegetarian ragu, veggie bolognese

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Author Isobel Hossack

Ingredients

1 red onion , finely diced
2 sticks of celery , finely diced
2 tablespoons refined olive oil or vegetable oil
pinch of salt
3 cloves garlic , minced or grated
2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
a (400g / 14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
800 ml (3 1/4 cups) vegetable stock (made with 1 low-salt stock cube)
125 ml red wine (or more veg stock)
2 tablespoons vegan Worcester sauce or mushroom ketchup (see notes)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 heaped tablespoon miso paste (I prefer to use dark miso here but light/medium is fine too)
50 g walnuts
90 g puy lentils or 'French' green lentils
1 tablespoon dried shiitake/porcini mushrooms , blended into a powder (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs or dried oregano

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and celery. Stir occasionally and cook until softened and slightly translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
Add the garlic to the pan and stir in for 30 seconds. Then add the ground coriander seed and fennel seed and stir again for 30 seconds to toast.
Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and swill out the can with a little water then pour that into the pan too. Add the vegetable stock, wine, Worcester sauce/mushroom ketchup and balsamic vinegar. Mix the miso with a few tablespoon of water in a small bowl or mug to loosen it, then pour that into the pan as well. Stir together.
Chop the walnuts so they are the texture of minced meat (not to small, not to big). Add the chopped walnuts, the lentils, mushroom powder, bay leaves and dried herbs to the pan. Stir together then bring the mixture to a boil.
Once boiling turn down to simmer, cover with a lid and let it cook for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are softening but not mushy. Remove the lid and let it simmer for another 10-20 minutes so the liquid can reduce.
Meawhile cook your pasta in a large pot according to the directions on the package. Reserve a mugful of pasta water then drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add a few scoops of the lentil ragu, along with a splash of pasta water as needed to help the sauce coat the pasta.
Divide the pasta between 4 bowls and top with the remaining ragu.
Serve with grated parmesan or vegan parmesan on top.

Notes

- Worcester sauce note: regular Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian as it contains fish. So if you are vegan or veggie, use a vegetarian alternative. You can also use mushroom ketchup which most UK supermarkets sell - sometimes it's in the 'speciality ingredients' section, sometimes near the hot sauce or sometimes next to the Worcester sauce. Or you can get it online. If you can't get any of them, use 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce instead.

- Miso note: If you don't have miso you can use 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce or 1 tbsp marmite instead.

- Wine note: ensure you're using a vegan red wine, if needed