Ingredients

• 1 medium brown onion 
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 400g tin of diced tomatoes
• 1 400g tin brown lentils drained and rinsed well (240g)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup water
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• Pinch of salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried Italian spice
• 2 bay leaves *dry or fresh
• 2 serves dried wholemeal spaghetti (around 85g dried pasta per serve)

Add dark green leafy wilted greens or a side salad of your choice for an extra boost of iron - we love:

• Kale
• Spinach
• Collard Greens

Method

1. Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery, this can also be done in a food processor pulsing until all finely chopped.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the vegetables for 5 minutes or until softened, add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

3. Add in all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer covered for 10 minutes then uncovered for a further 5-10 or until slightly reduced.

4. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water, add the pasta and reserved water to the pot with the Bolognese and stir well until everything is coated in the sauce.

5. Serve with fresh basil leaves and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (for a cheezy flavour).