Mushroom Lentil Pasta

Tags:[italian pasta vegan]

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 2-1/2 cups water, plus more if needed
• 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked through
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound spaghetti noodles
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• Vegan Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. In large saucepot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, carrot, bell pepper and onion. Cook until vegetables are very brown and soft, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add wine; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Use wooden spoon to scrape browned bits from bottom of pan.
3. Stir in bay leaf, crushed tomatoes, water, lentils, oregano, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 30 to 35 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Add more water in 1/2 cup increments, as needed, if ragu gets too thick.
4. Meanwhile, prepare spaghetti according to package directions.
5. To serve, remove bay leaf from ragu, and stir in basil. Serve ragu over spaghetti. Garnish with parsley and serve topped with cheese.

Notes

The right amount of pasta sauce per serving depends on what the sauce is made of. For tomato sauces, the typical Italian portion is 1.5 cups of sauce per pound (16 oz) of uncooked pasta. That’s exactly one 24-ounce jar of sauce. You can go lighter on oil-based sauces like pesto, 1 cup sauce per pound of pasta, and lighter still on rich, creamy sauces, about 3/4 cup per pound of pasta.