Far be it for me to give you a recipe for spaghetti bolognese.  I’m certain you’ve made it a billion times, in a billion different ways.  It was a default dish in our house –  a kind of comfort food and a routine on coming back from holiday that we would have spaghetti bolognese on our return – a consoling gesture.  That was, at least, until there was a vegetarian in the family and then spaghetti bolognese wasn’t quite the ticket.  So, here’s a recipe that can be made for veggies and carnivores with so little extra effort.  It’s delicious and nutritous and if you can serve it with wholegrain pasta – which I implore you to do – or even better some vegetti (!) then your halo will be shining.

I’m just going to say a quick word about lentils because they are an unsung nutritional hero.  Lentils are part of the legume family (which comprises beans – like black beans, peas – like chickpeas and lentils, like, well, lentils.  India produces over 50 different varieties of lentils   which makes the 3 or 4 I come across a poor comparison.  Lentils are high in protein.  They also contain some fat and carbohydrate.  They are rich sources of potassium, calcium, iron and several B vitamins.  Most importantly, (I think) they are a source of dietary lignans.  Although the research is still in its early days there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that lignan rich diets can be protective in many cancers, particularly hormone related cancers (like breast and ovarian).  So tuck in.

Take two pans, a little olive oil in both and add one diced carrot to one and the other to the other.  Cook on a low to medium heat for a couple of minutes before adding the chopped onion.  Cook these together for about 10-15 minutes until the carrot and onion is slightly browned.  Now add the crushed garlic to each pan and cook gently for a couple of minutes.

Next, add the lentils to the veggie dish.  Give them a stir to make sure they are coated in the carrot/onion/garlic mix.  Then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and approximately 100 mls stock or water.  Turn the heat up so the mix comes to bubble then turn it down so it stays gently cooking.  You probably want to leave it for about half an hour or so.  You want the lentils al dente, not pulp.  If it looks a bit dry at any time add some more water or stock.

Meantime, add the beef mince to the other pan and brown with the onion/carrot/garlic mix before adding the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree.  When it’s all added and incorporated bring to a bubble and again turn down so it gently cooks.  You can leave this sauce to simmer for some time if you like – I think the longer the better but all you really need to wait for is the meat to be cooked.  About 30-45 mins.

The photo I took shows the lentil sauce with some courgetti – don’t you love that word?! – I don’t cook mine but keep it raw as I find the heat of the sauce softens it but if you prefer you could give it a quick and gentle steam.  The meat bolognese is photographed with some spiralised carrot which is delicious though I think needs some steaming first – about 5 mins.  Some crunch is nice but you don’t want it to be too much hard work.