Ingredients
If you're trying to cut back on your grocery budget, you might find that dropping some meat from the meal plan could save you money. Caitriona Redmond shares one of her favourite veggie recipes below.
Every single ingredient comes from the press or the freezer in this comforting bolognese recipe. There’s no need to sweeten the mixture as the sweetness will come from the carrots and peppers.
You can see the full video on Instagram here: Caitriona's Lentil Bolognese
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 50g chopped onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 50g chopped peppers
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 100g chopped carrots
- 200g dried split lentils
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 vegetable stock cube and hot water
- 1 teaspoon each of dried oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- Dried pasta for serving
Method
- Cook the onions in the vegetable oil in a large saucepan on medium heat for 5 minutes before adding the garlic, tomato puree, and peppers, and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and lentils and stir well. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and 300ml of vegetable stock made with a stock cube. Add the dried herbs and seasoning. Stir so that everything is combined.
- Cover the saucepan and bring to a low simmer for an hour. Stir every so often so that the lentils don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- To serve: Cook the pasta according to the instructions, strain then combine with the sauce, and sprinkle chopped basil on top.
*Recipe Suggestion: This recipe is perfect for the slow cooker. Pop in all the ingredients (excluding the basil), stir well and place the cooker on high for 3-4 hours.
