Lentil & Mushroom Vegetarian Bolognese

Canned lentils are budget-friendly, busy-family weeknight warriors and a dinnertime saviour when paired with pre-made tomato sauce (Try our Super Simple Slow Cooker Sauce) and quick-cooking pasta. Pulses like lentils are total hunger crushers, too, meeting one-third of a woman’s daily fibre needs and containing 19 grams of protein in just one cup. One study found that a diet rich in pulses like lentils may help reduce the risk of obesity, while a large meta-analysis found that they may also help lower total and bad LDL cholesterol. They may be tiny, but they clearly pack a nutritional punch.

Tip: Cutting carbs, calories or gluten? Swap the whole-grain pasta for spiralized zucchini noodles for a protein-packed and fibre-rich meal.

photo credit: maya visnyei

Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time
6	5minutes	20minutes

Servings	Prep Time
6	5minutes

Cook Time

20minutes

• Course Dinner, Lunch
• Cuisine Casseroles, Grains, Pasta, Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery finely diced
• 1 carrot grated
• 1 pckg cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 can lentils drained and rinsed
• 2 cups premade tomate sauce (try our slow cooker sauce; link above)
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano dried
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese finely grated (optional)

Servings:

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin 1/2 medium onion finely chopped 1 stalk celery finely diced 1 carrot grated 1 pckg cremini mushrooms thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic finely minced 1 can lentils drained and rinsed 2 cups premade tomate sauce (try our slow cooker sauce; link above) 1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary minced 1/2 tsp oregano dried 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper Parmesan cheese finely grated (optional) Servings: Units:MetricUS Imperial

Course Dinner, Lunch Cuisine Casseroles, Grains, Pasta, Vegetarian

Instructions

1. Preheat oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add onion, celery and carrot and sauté until onion softens, about 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms and stir until lightly browned. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in lentils, tomato sauce, rosemary, oregano and balsamic vinegar. Cover pan and simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.
5. Season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve sauce on top of pasta with fresh Parmesan cheese, if desired.
6. Tip: This recipe can be made in the slow cooker using dried lentils. Just throw everything into the pot and cook on low heat for 6 hours or on high heat for 3 hours.

Recipe Notes

PER SERVING: 680 calories, 34 g protein, 7g fat (1 g saturated fat), 7 g carbs, 35 g fibre, 0 mg cholesterol, 57 mg sodium

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