Red Lentil Ragu

After the holiday season of non-stop eating and drinking, I’m sure that I’m not alone in wanting to put some lighter-calorie meals on the menu!

Italians are extremely passionate about their food. It’s one of the many reasons why Italian food is so fabulous. I read an article recently about Italian food purists getting upset over a New York Times recipe for “White Bolognese”. The food purists were upset that “real” Bolognese would never be white and would always have tomatoes in it. In fact, there is not such thing as Bolognese sauce in Bologna, where it was invented. It is simply called sauce Ragu. (You can read about the outrage here.)

Keeping this in mind, when I looked at doing a vegetarian version of this classic and absolutely delicious Italian dish, I steered clear of the word Bolognese. Since I’m looking to lighten things up for the start of the year, I turned to Red Lentils.

Red Lentils are a great source of protein and fibre and are great for the budget. They are also extremely good for the waistline. Using your slow cooker for this “Dinner While You Work” meal lets you come home to a great smelling house and a great tasting meal!

Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 10 minutes & 6+ hours slow cooking; Serves: 4 – 6 people; Calories: 158 (4 servings) – 109 (6 servings)

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed, but not soaked
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups porcini mushroom stock (or vegetarian, beef or chicken stock)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 2 ribs celery, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (I used pre-sliced Cremini mushrooms)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 cup red wine (or 1/4 cup good quality red wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (please use good quality balsamic vinegar)
• salt, pepper to taste
• grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (not shown, for topping)
• My Go-To Spice Mix (to taste)

What you do:

• In a large frypan, add the olive oil and over medium-high heat, sauté onions,
  garlic, carrots and celery about 2-3 minutes until onions are soft

• Add the mushrooms and cook another 3- 5 minutes

• Add the basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, dried rosemary and cook 1 minute

• Add the red wine and balsamic vinegar and cook 1 minute, scraping up the bottom of the pan

• Add to contents of the frying pan to the slow cooker

• Add the red lentils

• Add the crushed tomatoes and porcini (vegetable/beef/chicken) stock

• Stir

• Cover and cook on low for 6+ hours (if you want to thin it out a bit, add a splash of water)

• Taste, adjust salt and pepper as necessary

• Serve over hot cooked pasta and top with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and My Go-To Spice Mix. (You can also serve it with bread or rice.)