Lentil-mince Bolognaise
- Ready In: 60 minutes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooking Time: 45 minutes
- Serves: 4
This is an easy way to downsize your portions of meat as you use HALF the mince and boost the flavour with lentils. It's a plant-focussed recipe that works - it adds fibre and slowly-digested carbs plus stretches the meat so it goes further. Plus it's a hearty dish to cook when the weather is cold outside.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
- 250 g beef mince
- 1 x 400 g can of lentils, drained and rinsed
- 2 x 400 g cans of diced tomatoes
- ½ cup red wine or water
- 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs such as Italian herbs or oregano
- 250 g dried linguine or thin spaghetti (half a packet)
- TO SERVE:
- grated Parmesan cheese
Nutrition per serve
With 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese: 1,625 kJ (390 Calories), 8 g fat (including 2 g saturated fat), 55 g carbohydrate (including 8 g sugars), 8 g fibre and 430 mg sodium.
Directions
- Heat the oil in a medium-large frypan on medium heat
- Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until pale (stir so it doesn't catch)
- Add the red pepper and mince. Stir through for 2 minutes, breaking up any lumps with a large wooden spoon.
- Add the lentils, tomatoes, wine and herbs. Stir to combine
- Lower the heat, cover the frypan and let the mixture simmer for 30-40 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes.
- About 10-15 minutes before you want to serve up, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to directions. Drain and keep warm.
- Serve on to each of 4 bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Photo thanks to @sophiesfoodfeast
