I’ve been making this red lentil ragù for a couple of years now. Amal and I used to walk past a small local “bar” on the way to and from daycare when we lived in Milan. One day they added a photographic menu to their window and one of the dishes was Tagliatelle with Ragù. Amal stopped in her tracks and said “mama can we have that for dinner?”

Traditionally, ragù is a meat sauce made with pork and beef, but living in Italy I knew that ragù di lenticchie (aka Lentil Ragù) was very much a thing so I decided to give it a go, and the result was so delicious that it has been on our rotation ever since.

Italians most often make their lentil ragù with brown lentils, a mire poix of carrots, celery and onion, tomato sauce (aka passata) and/or pulp and/or paste, rosemary, salt and pepper.

My version relies on split red lentils instead, which cook really quickly and break down to a creamy dreamy consistency, allowing me to get dinner on the table in under 40 minutes, when a last minute request is made, or even less time if I prep ahead.

I’ve also left out the celery, replaced the rosemary with thyme and added in a touch of sweet paprika to depen the flavour and IT IS DE-LI-CIOUS!!!!

We like to serve it with fresh tagliatelle, at Amal’s request, but sometimes we serve it with fusilli, it’s the perfect short pasta shape that traps the ragù in it’s crevices.

This plant based vegan friendly ragù comes together effortlessly. It requires minimal chopping and a few basic pantry ingredients, and it’s mostly hands off because it simmers on the stove top while you do other things. It’s packed with nourishing red lentils that are loaded with plant based protein, iron and fiber and can be served with your favourite pasta noodles, zoodles, roasted vegetables, grain bowls or even as a topper for baked loaded sweet potatoes.

Red Lentil Ragù

Author Nissrine Boufawaz @ HolisticNiss.com

Time 60 minutes or less
Difficulty Easy
Servings 3.5 Cups
Diet vegan, gluten free, kid friendly
Category Main Course

Ingredients:

3/4 C (115g) Carrots, diced (about 3 carrots)
3/4 C (100g) Onions, diced (about 1 onion)
1/2 C heaping (100g) Split Red Lentils, rinsed and strained
1.5 C Passata (tomato sauce)
2.5 C Filtered Water
1 Tbsp Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
1 Tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 Tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to sautée the carrots and onions

Method:

Add extra virgin olive oil, diced carrots and onions to a saucepan, saucier or wok, season with salt and sautée on medium heat until the vegetables are softened and the onions are transluscent
Stir the rinsed and strained lentils through the vegetable mixutre, add the passata, filtered waterm vinegar if using, and tomato paste and stir to combine.
Stir in the thyme and paprika, turn the heat up and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until thick and saucy.
- The lentils will be cooked after 25 minutes, so if you're in a rush to get dinner on the table this is the minimum cooking time you'll need.
- If however, you have time to spare, I recommend you simmer it for a full hour, as it allows the flavour to develop even more and the lentils to break down into a chunky yet creamy consistency. The key is to simmer it low and slow, so resist the urge to turn up the heat.
Serve the red lentil ragù with your favourite pasta noodles, zoodles or as an accompaniment to roasted vegetables, grain bowls or simply with some crusty sourdough to scrape it up.