LENTIL & MUSHROOM SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE
Let me invoke memories of the darkest days of second year. Picture the scene...It's mid-March. I'm down to my last tenner of my overdraft, and with Mothers' Day coming up, I'm in no position to be swanning off to the supermarket. Trouble is, the fridge is down to the bare bones. So I raid the back of my cupboards, dusting off some dubious tins and packets, eventually stumbling upon a heavy packet containing a curiously-coloured grain. 'Red Lentils'. I immediately looked up recipes and found out it's a remarkably diverse ingredient, useful for bulking out any dish that's looking a little light. I made a soup, which was decent, not spectacular. Anyway, since then I've always had a soft spot for the ingredient and discovered it to be a protein-rich, versatile ingredient, offering a handy alternative to more meaty classics. So as soon as this recipe was submitted, it was always going to make to cut. So, if you're not already familar with the wonderful product of nature that is the lentil...Try this dish today!
Ingredients (serves 1):
- ½ Medium onion
- 1 Garlic clove
- 70g Dried red lentills
- 10 Medium closed cup mushrooms
- 150g Gluten-free dried spaghetti
- 1 tin Plum tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Dried oregano
- Vegetarian parmesan cheese (to taste)
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ tsp Salt
Cooking Instructions:
1. Dice onion into small cubes and cut garlic clove into small slices, and set both aside in same bowl.
2. Slice mushroom into thin slices and set aside in separate bowl.
3. Bring pan of 150ml water to the boil and add spaghetti and salt. Boil for 4-6 minutes, stirring regularly. Once cooked, reduce heat.
4. Fry onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat for around 5 minutes.
5. Add mushrooms and fry for further 4 minutes, or until mushrooms have released moisture.
6. Add lentils and fry for 2 minutes, until paled.
7. Add oregano and tinned tomatoes to sauce and fry for further 2-3 minutes.
8. Break up stock cube in hand and scatter pieces into pan. If mixture appears too thick, add tbsps of water until contents are desired consistency.
9. Serve pasta in bowl and top with bolognese mixture from pan.
10. Sprinkle parmesan cheese (to taste).
Recipe Profile:
- High in protein ✓
- High in fibre ✓
- Gluten-free ✓
- Vegetarian ✓
Contributor: Anna Leggett, Sheffield Hallam University, Film and English
"As someone who tries to go gluten-free, I think it's important hosts are able to cater for people of all dietary requirements. There's also a real scarcity of gluten-free recipes in restaurants and takeaways, so I'm always happy to share a few of my favourite recipes in the hope the message will eventually get back to them! Spread the word, man!"