Another cooking-from-the-pantry staple in this household. I wanted to use up some nut roast mixture from two weeks ago, and had the dregs of a jar of tomato paste to use (tomatoes of any kind are proving hard to find right now!) so I chucked that in but you can use just lentils, if you prefer.
vegetarian lentil and nut ragu
Makes heaps - enough for at least 6 hungry people - I find it makes one lasagna, one shepherds pie and at least two containers of sauce to freeze
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped (or parsley leaves and stalks, they have a similar flavour!)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Any other vegetables you like, finely chopped (I used marrow from my garden and a red capsicum)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Leftover uncooked nut roast mixture (about 300g) or 250g chopped walnuts or one bag of frozen Quorn vegetarian mince
1/2 - 1 cup wine (whatever you’ve got, you can even use Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
250g lentils (red, brown or green, I like red)
2 cups vegetable stock, vegetarian “beef” stock or tomato juice
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 x 400g can whole plum tomatoes or equal amount of passata (get an organic one with less sugar)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
Fresh thyme, rosemary and oregano (or dried if you don't have fresh)
Fresh basil, for serving
Saute the onion, carrots, celery (plus any other vegetables) and garlic in the olive oil in a large saucepan until soft. Add the nut roast mixture or walnuts or the Quorn mince from frozen and stir until the mixture/mince breaks down from large lumps into smaller, grainy ones. Add the wine, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Increase heat and stir until the liquid has evaporated.
Add lentils, stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and the thyme, rosemary and oregano (reserve basil for the end). Reduce the heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, tasting and stirring regularly. Taste for seasoning. Add fresh basil leaves and stir until slightly wilted.
Now you can use it however you like! It also freezes well.
Here are some suggestions:
Veggie bolognese: Serve with your favourite pasta and lots of veggie-friendly Parmesan.
Lasagna: layer the ragu with fresh or dried lasagna sheets, a white sauce/ricotta/thick Greek yoghurt and some sauteed greens like kale.
Shepherd’s pie: place the sauce in a baking dish and cover with mashed potato or other mashed root vegetables.
Thick lentil stew: add some chia seeds to thicken it slightly and serve in wide bowls with mash, couscous or bread.