Lentil Bolognese From 'Eat: The Little Book of Fast Food'

Updated March 14, 2019

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An earthy, sweet, tangy flavor belies the homely simplicity of this lentil bolognese recipe. . Jonathan Lovekin

Alright, I'll tell you upfront that this ain't pretty, in the conventional sense; I doubt I'll be seeing it on anybody's Instagram feed. But Nigel Slater's lentil bolognese from his newest cookbook, Eat, makes up for its deficit in the looks department with earthy, sweet, tangy flavor that belies its homely simplicity. Now, I'm not entirely sure about calling it a 'bolognese.' It's a stew of lentils cooked with carrots and onion and finished with a little crème fraîche and balsamic vinegar. While there is something about the sweetness and the subtle kick from the vinegar that could possibly harken to the tomato-based sauce with which we're all familiar, the similarity is far from overt. That said, I really liked this as a pasta sauce! It hit the right notes, and felt so, so nourishing and rib-sticking.

Why I picked this recipe: The addition of crème fraîche and balsamic sounded like an unusual, lovely addition to basic lentils.

What worked: I loved it! The slow cooking of the onions and carrots before the addition of the lentils enhanced their sweetness, which worked beautifully with the crème fraîche and balsamic and gave the sauce so much more depth than it would otherwise have.

What didn't: The sauce ended up quite thick, and would have turned extremely gloppy as it sat, but ...

Suggested tweaks: ...I added a couple ladles of the pasta water to help thin it out, and it was fine. This was delicious as is, but I think you could have some fun with additions, too. Next time, I'll probably add some mushrooms and herbs, and grate Parmesan on top for extra salty funk.

Recipe Details

Lentil Bolognese From 'Eat: The Little Book of Fast Food'

Active 30 mins

Total 70 mins

Serves 4 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

2 carrots
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
1 cup (200g) Puy lentils, rinsed if necessary
4 cups (1L) vegetable stock
10 ounces (300g) pappardelle
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt

Directions

Cut carrots into small dice, peeling them if you wish. Cook over moderate heat in a deep pan with olive oil. Peel and finely slice onion, add to the pan, and cook for a good 15 minutes, till the onion is deep gold and the carrots lightly browned.
Add lentils, rinsed if necessary, into the pan, then pour in vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the liquid simmers and leave to cook until the lentils are soft—anything from 25 to 40 minutes. Season with salt toward the end of cooking.
Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta and salt it generously. Cook pappardelle until al dente.
While the pasta cooks, remove half the lentils and their liquid and process to a coarse puree in a blender or food processor. Return them to the pan and stir in crème fraîche and balsamic vinegar. Check seasoning and bring almost to a simmer.
Drain the pasta, divide among warm bowls, then spoon over lentil ragù.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
322	Calories
15g	Fat
39g	Carbs
10g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	322
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g	19%
Saturated Fat 4g	18%
Cholesterol 34mg	11%
Sodium 1578mg	69%
Total Carbohydrate 39g	14%
Dietary Fiber 6g	20%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 5mg	26%
Calcium 47mg	4%
Iron 3mg	17%
Potassium 410mg	9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.