Googie’s Kitchen presents Oven Baked Lentil Spag Bowl

We love a spaghetti bolognaise is a huge favourite in our house. To be honest, I’m more than sure that my husband Howard and son Ted are bigger fans of a meat bolognaise sauce than a lentil one. For me I just love food so any kind of sauce with pasta will taste good to me. During the week we like to eat less meat meals. Therefore I’m always thinking of new ideas to keep dinner interesting.

Before I made this dish I made a baked beef and parma ham bolognese. It was so delicious I wondered what lentils would take like cooked in a sauce that’s cooked in the oven. I have never cooked lentils in the oven and I did start to wonder what would happen if it all went Pete Tong, wrong! Thankfully I didn’t need to worry as this dish was so yummy. Below is a video and recipe for you.

Do you love lentils and if so, what lentil dishes do you enjoy? Let me know in the comments below and please don’t forget to like and follow me.

Serves 4

Equipment needed

• Sharp Knife
• Chopping board
• Slow cooker or large saucepan
• Saucepan for cooking pasta
• Stirring spoon
• Teaspoon
• Grater
• Vegetable peeler
• Measuring jug

Ingredients

• Red 1entils x 200g
• Tinned tomatoes x 1 400g
• Onions x 1 large
• Red pepper x 1
• Courgette x 1
• Carrots x 1
• Butternut squash x 100g
• Vegetable stock x 400mls
• Dried mixed herbs x 1 tsp
• Bay leaves x 2
• Garlic x 2 cloves
• Basil x 1 handful
• Spinach x 200g
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil for large saucepan

Method for slow cooker

• Preheat the oven to 160°C or gas mark 4.
• Start by peeling and chopping the onion and the garlic.
• Then peel and grate the carrot, courgette and butternut squash
• Slice and dice the red pepper into small pieces and discard of the seeds and green stalks.
• Put a large pan on a high heat and add oil to the base of the pan.
• When the pan starts to smoke slightly add in the onions.
• Fry until they start to soften.
• It should take around 3 – 5 minutes.
• Next add in the garlic and fry for a further few minutes.
• Now add in the pepper, grated carrots, courgette and butternut squash.
• Continue to fry these ingredients for a further five minutes or so.
• If the ingredients start to stick to the base of the pan turn the heat down and add a little water.
• Next put the lentils in and fry for a further few minutes to heat them through.
• Once all the ingredients have softened add in the tomatoes and the stock.
• Sprinkle over the dried mixed herbs and add in the bay leaves.
• Add salt and pepper to your taste.
• Stir all these ingredients together, put the lid on the saucepan and put into the oven for an hour.
• After an hour turn off the oven and carefully remove the lid from the pan and add in the basil and spinach.
• Stir round the pan and let the spinach and basil wilt into the sauce.
• Put the lid back on and place back into the oven.
• Meanwhile start cooking your pasta as per the packet instructions.
• Once the pasta is cooked pour through the colander.
• Carefully remove the pan from the oven and add in the pasta.
• Then serve with the pasta and enjoy.

Method for on the hob

• Start by peeling and grating your carrots and set aside
• Peel and chop the onions and garlic and again set aside.
• Next slice the peppers discarding the seeds and green stalks.
• Heat the saucepan on a medium to high heat and add the onions and garlic.
• Once the onions are translucent, add the peppers to the pan.
• Fry for a further two minutes or until the peppers start to soften.
• Next add the tomatoes, stock, dried oregano, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to the boil and then add the lentils.
• If you are using just red lentils these should take around twenty minutes to cook but if you are using green lentils these will take about thirty minutes to cook.
• However, if you are using both add the green ones first then after 10 minutes add the red ones.
• Then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for the time that suits you.
• Once cooking is over and the lentils are soft, add in the spinach and basil.
• Wait for these to wilt in the pan.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta.
• When the spinach has wilted put the pasta in the sauce and stir.
• Serve and enjoy.

Baked Lentil Spag Bowl was gratefully received in our house. Ted wasn’t the biggest fan of this dish but he did eat it. Howard loved it and I really enjoyed this meal too. It was a time consuming meal but it was great to leave it in the oven to let it cook slowly. All the ingredients in this dish are freezable. The dish could be made at the weekend and stored in the freezer until you want to eat it. However you decide to eat this dish, as always please enjoy. Thank you xxx