Lentil & Mushroom Ragu
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Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 500 grams Cremini mushrooms, base removed, chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1/4 cup Tomato paste
- 1 28oz can san marzano tomatoes - crushed
- 1 28oz can of water
- 500 grams Spaghetti (or any pasta you have on hand)
Directions
Heat up a pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add in the chopped mushrooms and season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Sauté on medium high for 10-15 minutes until all the water evaporates and the mushrooms start to brown. Remove from the pot and keep to the side.
Add in the remaining 3 tablespoons of evoo and toss in the chopped carrots, onions and celery. Season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper and sweat for 10 minutes on medium heat. Once the onions are translucent but golden on the edges add in the garlic, bay leaf, tomato paste, rinsed lentils and cooked mushrooms. Sauté for a couple minutes and then deglaze with the red wine. Once the wine has cooked off a bit add in the crushed tomatoes and the can of water. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer for 25 min. It will thicken but don't worry the pasta water will loosen everything up. Check for seasoning.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and season generously with kosher salt. Once boiling add the pasta. Once the pasta is al dente add it into the ragu with a couple cups of the pasta water (reserve more pasta water on the side if it needs to loosen up). Toss to coat and then serve it up with a generous amount of parm.