This big pot of hearty meat-free pasta sauce delivers deep tomato-umami flavour and will leave your house smelling like a million bucks. And, yes, you can prepare pasta in advance and enjoy delicious noodles all week long. To keep things vegan and add another layer of good nutrition, sprinkle on this savoury nut and hemp heart mixture in lieu of traditional Parmesan. You can also use it on salads and soups or when making pesto. The ragu is also excellent strewn over baked potato.
Tip
Store leftovers of the ragu and prepared pasta in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Pasta, pronto!
There are a couple of ways to reheat leftover cooked pasta so it’s not mushy. Start by only cooking noodles to no more than al dente so there’s some wiggle room for additional heating. Place your leftover pasta in a colander and dip into large pot of boiling water. Allow pasta to heat for about 30 seconds before removing from water. Or heat some leftover ragu in large skillet until bubbling, and then stir in cooked pasta and cook for about 2 minutes.
Mushroom Lentil Ragu Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or camelina oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tsp (5 mL) salt, divided
- 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 1/2 lb (225 g) roughly chopped crimini mushrooms (about 4 cups/1 L)
- 2 chopped celery stalks
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) no-salt-added tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) black pepper
- 1 cup (250 mL) red wine
- 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) brown or green lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 2 1/2 cups (625 mL) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups (350 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar
- 1 lb (450 g) whole grain penne or rotini pasta
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) raw cashews
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) garlic powder
- 1 cup (250 mL) chopped parsley
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories531
- protein25g
- fat12g
- saturated fat2g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates82g
- sugars5g
- fibre15g
- sodium518mg
Directions
01
In 6 L large saucepan over medium, heat oil. Add onion and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt; heat for 5 minutes. Add carrots to pan and heat for 3 minutes. Place mushrooms, celery, and garlic in pan; heat for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; heat for 1 minute. Pour in red wine, raise heat to medium-high, and boil for 2 minutes. Add lentils, crushed tomatoes, and vegetable broth to pan; bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low; and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and red wine vinegar.
02
While ragu simmers, bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just al dente. Drain pasta well.
03
In food processor container, place cashews, hemp hearts, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt and process until finely chopped.
04
Serve pasta topped with ragu. Sprinkle on nut and hemp heart mixture and garnish with parsley.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
