Ingredients

2 tbsp

olive oil

onions, finely diced

carrots, peeled & finely diced

celery stick, finely diced

red peppers, finely diced

courgettes, finely diced

250g

chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped

20g

dried porcini mushrooms

garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp

tomato puree

75ml

red wine (optional)

2 x 400g tins

chopped tomatoes

400ml

hot vegetable stock

2 x 400g tins

brown lentils, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp

Steenbergs organic Italian herb mix

Steenbergs bay leaves

2 tbsp

Steenbergs organic tomato flakes

2 tbsp

light soy sauce

1 tbsp

brown miso paste

400g

dried tagliatelle

a large handful

fresh basil, roughly chopped

to serve

vegetarian hard cheese, grated

Packed with vegetables and flavour, this rich and comforting bolognese is perfect to feed a crowd. The dried mushrooms, soy sauce and miso add a deliciously savoury depth of flavour. If serving vegans you can omit the cheese, or use a vegan cheese instead.

Serves 4-6

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 45 mins

Tip: if you would like to add some beef mince, you could brown a 400g pack of beef mince in the frying pan when you start step 1, then transfer to a plate and set aside before continuing with the recipe. Use one tin of lentils instead of two, and add the browned mince at the same time as the lentils in step 2.

Method

1 Heat the oil in a large high sided frying pan or casserole pot over high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, peppers, courgettes and mushrooms and fry, stirring occasionally, until softened and turning golden brown, 12-15 mins. Meanwhile, add the dried mushrooms to a small heatproof bowl and cover with 100ml just boiled water. Set aside to soak for 10 mins, then finely chop the soaked mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid.

2 Add the garlic and tomato puree to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 mins until aromatic. Add the red wine if using and cook until mostly evaporated, then add the chopped tomatoes, stock, lentils, herbs, bay leaves, tomato flakes, soy sauce and miso paste. Season with salt and pepper, bearing in mind that the stock, soy and miso are all salty, then add the porcini mushrooms and their soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook on medium-low heat uncovered for 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the flavour has intensified and the sauce has thickened. Add a splash of water if it is getting too thick.

3 Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle to pack instructions. Serve with the sauce, fresh basil and grated vegetarian hard cheese.