Vegan Lentil and Mushroom Spag Bol
Vegan Lentil and Mushroom Spag Bol
The perfect comfort meal to have at any day of the week whilst also getting your vegetables in. This recipe is great as it only uses vegetables and lentils to get that great texture without actually using meat substitutes making this pretty cheap and if you get bloated sometimes by seitan like myself, then this is perfect for you!
This is pretty quick to throw together but the key is to slow cooking this like you would a ragu to really get those flavours. This is a great dish to make in a slow cooker if you have one or something you start in the morning and eat in the evening one weekend. Like most slow cooked dishes, this will taste even better the next day. Use this ragu for lasagne too, it doesn’t just stop at Spaghetti!
This was a great dinner during my meat free month in Jan and I honestly didn’t miss the meat!
Serves 4
200 g Dried French Lentils
200 g Chestnut Mushrooms (roughly half a punnet)
150 g Oyster Mushrooms
250 ml Red Wine
2 tbsp Vegetable Boullion
3 x stalks of celery
1 x Tin of chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp Tomato Puree
4 x Cloves of Garlic
1 x Large carrot
½ Large white Onion
2 x Bayleaves
3 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Fennel seeds
1 tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/2x Bunch of Basil
2 tbsp Dried Mixed Herbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
Chop up your celery, carrot and onion by dicing into equal pieces. This is will mean that everything tastes the same if they are chopped equally.
Chop the mushrooms equally too and dice into small pieces. Finely chop your garlic.
In a deep pan, heat up some olive oil and add your fennel seeds, chilli flakes, onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Sautee in your pan with some salt and pepper, cooking the base of your spag bol off.
Add the tomato puree and cook off for a few minutes, till everything is mixed well in the pan and coated evenly. Add your sugar and stir through again.
Add your mushrooms and cook off for 10 minutes or so. This will cook out some moisture out of the mushrooms but keep them juicy in your sauce.
Add your wine to the pan and allow to cook for 5 minutes, turning your heat down on the hob and allow everything to amalgamate together.
After you have cooked off the wine, add your bay leaves and your tin of tomatoes into the pan. Add your mixed herbs. Stir well and get the remaining tomato juices out the tin of tomatoes by filling up the tin with water.
Add 1 ½ tins of water from the tinned tomatoes, then add your veg stock and lentils in your pan.
Chop half a bunch of basil, nutritional yeast and add into your pot and stir.
Turn your ragu down on a low medium heat, lid on and allow to cook for 1.5 hours. Keep checking your ragu and stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick.
After 1.5 hours simmering away, your ragu should be thickening up and reducing. Add a little water if you feel it needs to be looser and allow to cook for another hour.
Keep stirring and taste as you go along. Add more salt, pepper or sugar to taste.
Serve with spaghetti, or favourite pasta and cheese (if you’re veggie) if you wish. Garnish with fresh cracked black pepper and torn basil pieces. Enjoy!