Mushroom And Lentil ‘Bolognese’
Active time: 40 minutes Total time: 1 hour 6 servings
This hearty sauce gets its chunky texture and rich flavor from lentils and mushrooms (along with tomato paste and soy sauce for umami), with a little freshness from parsley. It’s great over pasta, but you can also use it to top rice or other grains, or baked white or sweet potatoes.
Storage notes: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. The sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months.
11⁄4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more as needed 1 medium yellow or white onion (8 ounces), chopped 1 medium carrot, scrubbed and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon tamari or light soy sauce
2 cups tomato puree
Two (15-ounce) cans green lentils, drained and rinsed 1 pound dried whole-wheat spaghetti
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly
sliced
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Pour the broth into a microwave-safe bowl or liquid measuring cup and microwave on HIGH until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the dried mushrooms and soak for 10 minutes, then pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer to catch any grit. Rinse the mushrooms, squeeze out the extra water and chop them.
While the mushrooms are soaking, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until it shimmers. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, teaspoon of salt and the pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
Pour in the mushroom broth and chopped mushrooms, and add the tomato paste and tamari, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer, then add the tomato puree and lentils. Return to a simmer and cook until the mixture thickens and the flavors have melded, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the lentil mixture is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain well.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over high heat, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil until it shimmers. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet, add a layer of mushrooms and let it cook without disturbing until lightly browned on one side, 1 minute. Flip the mushrooms and cook on the other side until lightly browned, 1 minute. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to the lentil mixture. Continue with the remaining mushrooms, adding 1 teaspoon of oil before frying each batch, and adding more oil as needed.
Stir the parsley into the sauce. Taste, and season with more salt as needed.
Add the spaghetti to the sauce and toss until thoroughly coated, and serve hot.
Nutrition information per serving (1 ⁄ cups pasta plus 1 cup sauce) | Calories: 512; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 445 mg; Carbohydrates: 96 g; Dietary Fiber: 13 g; Sugar: 11 g; Protein: 27 g