Triple Tomato Lentil Ragu With Tagliatelle
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Triple Tomato Lentil Ragu With Tagliatelle

It might seem mad to use three different types of tomato for this sauce, but they all bring completely different flavours. The roast tomatoes are sweet and soft, the canned tomatoes provide the base, and the sun-dried tomatoes and nutty lentils add the final richness. Find this and more delicious plant-based recipes from the new Simple Plant-based Cookbook, available from Amazon.
Serves
4
Total Time
1 Hour 10 Minutes
Ingredients
700g of cherry or medium tomatoes, on the vine
4 cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole
6 tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp of dried oregano
Salt & black pepper
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
1 x 250g pouch of Merchant Gourmet Simply Cooked Beluga Lentils
1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
6 Merchant Gourmet Sun-dried Tomatoes in Sunflower Oil, drained and roughly chopped
To serve
250g vegan tagliatelle or spaghetti
Fresh basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Plant-based parmesan (optional)
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/Gas mark 6.

Step 2

Add the fresh tomatoes and garlic to a large roasting tray, pour over 4 tbsp of the oil and add the oregano. Season with salt and black pepper, toss and roast for 30-35 minutes.

Step 3

While the tomatoes are roasting, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan over a medium head and add the celery, shallot and rosemary with a pinch of salt. Gently fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes until everything is soft.

Step 4

Remove and discard the vines from the tomatoes, then stir into the onion mixture, along with the lentils, canned tomatoes, and sundried tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the bottom doesn’t catch, until reduced to a thick, silky sauce.

Step 5

Boil the tagliatelle according to the packet instructions, then drain, saving a mugful of the pasta water.

Step 6

Stir the sauce into the pasta, adding a little of the pasta water so it’s lovely and silky. Serve in bowls, topped with a few basil leaves, a drizzle of oil and a grating of parmesan, if liked.

The recipes are taken from Merchant Gourmet's new cookbook: The Simple Plant-Based Cookbook. All the recipes are easy to follow, use simple ingredients, are healthy and nutritious, and are designed to help save the planet, one plant-based meal at a time.

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