While I am not abandoning meat, I am totally into cooking vegetarian these days. My next book will feature this and many other recipes, so as I post them, let me know how you like them. In the meantime, your family will love this easy vegetarian recipe of lentil and tomato ragu spooned over pasta. Perfect for a weekday supper.
Lentil ragu ladled over pasta
Vegetarian Recipe: Lentil and Tomato Ragu
Lentils are earthy and filling, a perfect pairing with forest or “wild” mushrooms. Plus, they cook in a mere 45 minutes from sack to dinner plate. No soaking required. I love them for so many reasons and here they are not only paired with gorgeous mushrooms (and you can use plain old white ones if you want), but with tomatoes and just enough red wine to lift the ragu to gastromic heights (the alcohol cooks off while the ragu simmers). Everyone — kids included — loves this robust sauce served over pasta.
Serves 8
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
10 ounces wild mushrooms, such as oyster, shiitake, or baby portobellos (cremini), diced
1 ½ cups red wine
8 ounces lentils du puy
4 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade
One 28 -ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 pound spaghetti
About ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ teaspoon dry oregano
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the carrots, onions and garlic, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes longer until they begin to soften.
- Add the red wine, raise the heat to high, and boil gently for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lentils, stock, chopped tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are cooked and the ragu thickens.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions, timing it so that it will be done when the ragu is thickened.
- Stir the oregano, chopped parsley and salt into the ragu, and season to taste with pepper. Ladle the ragu over the hot pasta and serve.