Healthy Bolognese Sauce

Forget your jar of sugar-laden tomato sauce from the supermarket, and make your bolognese using fresh, wholesome ingredients that taste divine!

This version is packed with flavour and lots of hidden veggies that veggie-phobes won't notice!

It contains plenty of protein and fibre, and pairing it with buckwheat pasta keeps the carb count low meaning your blood sugar levels remain nicely balanced.

Serve with buckwheat pasta or courgetti for a balanced healthy dinner.

serves 4

Ingredients

2tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

75g dried puy or green lentils

400g minced beef

2tsp dried oregano

1tbsp tomato puree

2 cans chopped tomatoes

250ml chicken stock or water (plus more if needed)

150g chopped mushroom, optional

salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan and add the red onion, carrots and celery and gently fry over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the veg is cooked and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and stir to fry for a minute.

2. Add the oregano and beef and stir to cook over a medium heat, until the beef is browned (about 10 minutes).

3. Add the lentils and the tomato puree and stir to combine then add the tinned chopped tomatoes.

4. Add the chicken stock or water and the mushrooms if using, stir well and leave to gently bubble, reducing the sauce to the consistency you like. Add more water/stock as required as the lentils tend to soak up quite a bit.

Tips

Make a double batch and freeze portions for a quick dinner.

Add other veg - eg. chopped red pepper or leeks

Serve over a small portion of buckwheat pasta or make courgetti (spiralised courgettes)