Dinner · Italian

Mushroom & lentil ragù

Name: Mushroom & lentil ragù
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 250g Chestnut mushrooms; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 1 Brown onion; 2 Carrots; 2 sticks Celery; 2 cloves Garlic, crushed; 2 tbsp Tomato purée; 1 tsp Dried oregano; 2 tins Green lentils, drained; 2 tins Chopped tomatoes; 1 tbsp Soy sauce; 400g Spaghetti

Meaty without the meat, thanks to hard-browned mushrooms and a sneaky splash of soy.

Start to finish: 1 hr
Hands-on: 30 min
In the fridge: 4 days
Freezes: Yes

VeganContains gluten, soya, celery

Ingredients

4 portions

250gChestnut mushrooms
2 tbspOlive oil
1Brown onion
2Carrots
2 sticksCelery
2 clovesGarlic, crushed
2 tbspTomato purée
1 tspDried oregano
2 tinsGreen lentils, drained
2 tinsChopped tomatoes
1 tbspSoy sauce
400gSpaghetti

Plus salt, pepper and water.

Method

1
Chop the mushrooms finely, roughly the size of the lentils.
2
Fry them in 1 tbsp of the oil in a large pan over a high heat for 8 minutes, until their water has cooked off and they are well browned. Tip onto a plate.
3
Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, carrots and celery, and crush the garlic.
4
Add the rest of the oil to the pan and soften the chopped veg gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, purée and oregano for a minute.
11 min, mostly hands-off
5
Return the mushrooms with the lentils, tomatoes, soy sauce and 200ml water. Simmer with the lid ajar for 25 minutes, until thick.
27 min, mostly hands-off
6
Season well. Serve over spaghetti, or cool and portion into tubs.

On the day

Reheat until piping hot, loosening with a splash of water. Cook the spaghetti fresh on the night; it takes about 10 minutes.

Cook’s tip

Really brown the mushrooms before anything else goes in. Pale mushrooms make a watery, grey sauce.