Chunky Lentil Bolognese with Spiralized Sweet Potatoes
Try this Chunky Lentil Bolognese with Spiralized Sweet Potatoes recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Chunky Lentil Bolognese with Spiralized Sweet Potatoes recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- chopped parsley to garnish
- 1 red or yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled diced
- 1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup dry green lentils rinsed
- 3 medium sweet potatoes peeled, blade d, noodles trimmed
- Carbohydrate 23.5903167178379 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 3.35710671869274 g
- Fiber 3.34950624026342 g
- Protein 1.8675926560565 g
- Saturated Fat 0.482445187485899 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (283g)
- Sodium 488.941986975715 mg
- Sugar 20.2408104775745 g
- Trans Fat 0.124087593738292 g
- Calories 129 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat half the oil in a medium saucepot over medium high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add in the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables soften and onions are translucent.
- Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
- Add in the tomatoes and season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper and stir again.
- Add the lentils, stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce to a medium simmer (over medium-low heat) and cook for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- Add more broth if the sauce dries out as the lentils are still cooking.
- While lentil Bolognese cooks, place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the remaining oil.
- Once heated, add in the sweet potato noodles, season with salt and pepper and cook for 7 minutes or until al dente or to your preference.
- Divide into bowls and tent with foil or similar to keep warm while the lentils finish cooking.
- When lentil Bolognese is done, taste and adjust with more salt, if needed.
- Divide the Bolognese over the sweet potato noodles and garnish with parsley.
Replacing the canned diced tomatoes with whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand alters the sauce consistency entirely, shifting it from watery to rich. Simmering green lentils in vegetable broth requires vigilant stirring because starches settle and scorch easily on the bottom of a medium saucepot over medium-low heat. Adding too much liquid at once drowns the aromatics, so incorporate the three cups of broth incrementally over the forty-minute cooking window until the legumes reach a tender bite without turning mushy.
Serving this heavy sauce demands a high-acid side dish like a crisp shaved fennel salad dressed in lemon juice to cut through the natural sweetness of the root vegetable noodles. Bitter greens tossed in a sharp vinaigrette also counterbalance the dense, earthy flavor profile of the lentil ragu much better than roasted vegetables would. Toasting walnut pieces to scatter on top introduces a necessary textural crunch that contrasts sharply with the soft noodles.
Adapting this dish for different dietary needs is straightforward since the base is already entirely plant-based and free of animal products. Replacing the green lentils with brown lentils yields a nearly identical texture, though red lentils will disintegrate completely into a purée rather than maintaining the chunky consistency specified here.
Storing leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to three days works well, but keep the sweet potato noodles un-cooked until just before eating to prevent them from turning soggy. Reheating the sauce benefits from a splash of water to loosen the starches that tighten during refrigeration.
