Vegan Bolognese

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 100g mushrooms, diced
• 1 aubergine, diced
• 75g green lentils
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 300g whole wheat spaghetti, to serve
• 1 tablespoon low sodium- soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• fresh basil, to serve (optional)

Preparation

1. heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. add the onion, celery and carrot and cook gently for 10 mins, stirring regularly, until softened. stir in the garlic, tomato purée, vinegar and oregano. cook for 1 min, then add the mushrooms, aubergine, lentils, chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock.
2. bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. cover the pan loosely and cook for 40-50 mins until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. stir often and add a splash more water if the sauce starts to catch on the bottom of the pan.
3. meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta to pack instructions. to serve, stir the soy sauce and almond milk into the sauce and spoon over the drained pasta. garnish with a few fresh basil leaves.