Lentil Quinoa Bolognese Sauce
These thick and hearty pasta sauce is from The Great Vegan Bean Book.It makes about 8 servings, but go ahead and make the whole batch and freeze the leftovers for later.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 249kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils (green, brown, or beluga)
- 3 medium carrots peeled if not organic, each cut into 4 large pieces
- 1-2 cups water
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper cored, seeded and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 20 ounce can crushed tomatoes , or 3 cups (750 g) homemade puree plus 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or crushed dried chilies ,optional
- 1 small bunch kale stems removed and torn into small pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 cup quinoa , rinsed well
- 1/2 cup red wine , or 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper , to taste
- 4 cups Cooked pasta for serving
Instructions
- Add the lentils, carrots, and water to a large soup pot. Turn the heat to high, cook until the mixture is simmering, and then decrease to low and cover. Cook until the lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
- While the lentils cook, heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes, using some water to keep it from sticking as needed. Then add the bell pepper and garlic and saute for 1 minute more.
- Once the carrots and lentils are cooked remove the carrots from the pot of lentils and add them to a food processor or blender along with the tomatoes, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, kale, and sauteed veggies, and puree until smooth.
- At the same time, add the quinoa and red wine to the pot of lentils. Turn the heat to medium, cook until it starts to simmer again, and then cover and decrease the heat to low. Cook until the quinoa start to show their white tails.
- Add the puree to the lentil-quinoa mixture and cook, covered, over low heat until the sauce melds and heats thoroughly, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 475mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4483IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 4mg