Slow Cooked Lentil Bolognese

Hey Everyone !!

So it has been a very long time since I have posted a recipe and I apologize for that!! I hope to keep up with blogging as I am now a RHN- Holistic Nutritional Consultant and will be helping people achieve healthy plant based lifestyles.
This recipe I am sharing today is a great to cook for guests that are meat eaters and weary on trying plant-based food. This sauce provides all the flavors and textures  of a meat sauce but it is 100% vegan!
Hope this recipe makes up for the long while of not posting!!

Slow Cooked Lentil Bolognese

Yield: 8-10 servings

If it’s meat you choose to resemble, go for lentils! 

Equipment:

4 qt slow cooker

Sharp chef’s knife

Cutting board

Dry measuring cups

Liquid measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Wooden spoon

Large sauce pan

Can opener

Rubber spatula

Cheesecloth

Butchers string

Scissors

Ingredients:

In large pan:

Cooking oil

1 medium cooking onion, small dice

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 stalks of celery, small dice

3 carrots, small dice
1/4 red pepper, small dice
1/4 green pepper, small dice

8-10 button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/8 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 Cup  wine (red or white, see notes)

In Crock Pot:

1 1/2 Cups brown lentils, picked and rinsed

1 5.5 Oz.  can of tomato paste

1 28 Oz. can diced tomatoes

Up to 3 cups vegetable broth

Sachet:

2 bay leaves

1 Teaspoon Italian seasonings (basil, oregano , thyme, rosemary)

To Finish Sauce:

Salt and Pepper to taste (start with 1Tsp salt 1/2 Tsp pepper)

Agave nectar to taste (1-2 Tbs Max)

Nutritional yeast to taste (start with about 1/4 Cup)

6-8 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Instructions:

- Prepare all vegetables to be cooked in the large pan. Heat some cooking oil in the pan and saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients except the wine. Saute until mushrooms are Cooked down and somewhat golden. Add the wine and simmer until most of the liquid has absorbed. Transfer this mixture to the crock pot .

- Add the lentils, tomato paste and canned tomatoes to the crock pot, stir well. Stir in vegetable stock until the crock pot is max filled. Turn the crock pot on low.

- To make the sachet, cut a square of cheesecloth and place the bay leaves and dry herbs in the center. ball and tie up the cheesecloth with another piece of cheesecloth or butchers string so the herbs can’t escape. This will give the sauce herby flavor but not leave the small herby bits in the sauce. Add to the sauce (see notes)

- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until  lentils are soft. Once cooked, add to taste the seasonings and stir in some freshly chopped basil

- Serve with choice pasta or vegetable noodle. Enjoy! 

Notes:

- The original recipe called for red wine, and I only had white wine on hand, sauce was still amazing!

-For more info on how to make a sachet see the following link: 

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/recipestepbystep/ss/StockSachet.htm

-Recipe adapted from Begin with Nutrition