A rich and flavoursome vegan alternative to bolognese. If you are looking to reduce your calories going vegan or vege for a couple of meals a week, is a great way to do this, and it also helps the planet! Plant based diets are the new thing, claiming benefits beyond weight loss, such as reduced cholesterol, reduced disease risk. They can be a little boring, and can lack protein if you don’t know what you are doing, so do your research and experiment with different foods. Plant based protein comes from pulses like lentils, quinoa, chick peas and nuts, so if you are giving vegetarianism or veganism a try, make sure you include these proteins at every meal.
The original version of this recipe actually came in at over 600 calories per portion, however with a few tweaks (changing from oil to spray oil, halving the walnuts, and switching from regular wine to alcohol free wine) I got it down to less than 400 calories per serving, which goes to show, a few small changes here and there can make all the difference!
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Green Lentil Bolognese
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Delicious, rich and tasty vege option!
Ingredients
Spray oil
1 large onion
2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped and diced
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 sprigs of rosemary
200g dried green lentils
Glass of alcohol free red wine
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
30 g walnuts
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Cooked pasta of your choice (60g dried weight per person)
Instructions
- Spray the pan with fry light over a low heat and add the onion and carrots, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until softened
- Add the garlic and rosemary sprigs, and cook for about a minute until it smells fragrant, then add the lentils.
- Give everything a really good stir round and then add the wine. Let the wine reduce slightly.
- Add both tins of chopped tomatoes, then refill one tin with water and add it in.
- Stir in the tomato puree, then leave the sauce to simmer gently for about twenty minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the lentils are lovely and soft.
- Toast the walnuts in a seperate dry frying pan. Allow them to cool and roughly chop them. Add them to the pan.
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar season to taste, removing the rosemary sprigs.
- Serve over cooked pasta, and if you have the calories to spare, treat your self to a sprinkle of parmesan over the top!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
Nutrition
- Calories: 377