Red Lentil Marinara Sauce
Red Lentil Marinara Sauce
Delicious and healthy alternative to meat sauce. All the taste and texture without the saturated fats.
Equipment
- 1 Pot or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper cored and seeded
- 2 zucchini diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cans water about 4 cups
- 1-2 tbsps Italian seasoning or use a combination of your favorites: oregano, basil, parsley
- 1/2 tsp each garlic and onion powder
- red chili flakes optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup red lentils can use green or brown, but red cook down faster. Rinsed in strainer.
- Nutritional Yeast to use as you would grated Parmasean cheese
- 1 tsp olive oil just to coat bottom of pot
Instructions
- Heat olive oil to medium high heat.
- Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add red bell pepper and zucchini and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables.
- Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with juice and seasonings. Stir for about a minute.
- Add in the rinsed lentils. Stir in thoroughly.
- Add water and stir.
- Bring to a soft boil for about 5 minutes, then turn heat down to simmer.
- Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Notes
This red lentil marinara sauce is the best. It has a lot of texture and “chew”, so a great way to enjoy “meat” sauce without using meat or “fake” meat.
Serve over any kind of pasta: spaghetti, fusilli, rigatoni. Whole wheat pasta has more fiber, but with all the veggies in this dish, you can enjoy regular pasta and still get plenty of fiber.
Contrary to popular belief, pasta is not fattening; it is the toppings that make this family favorite less healthy. Substituting lentils or beans (cannellini or garbanzo) will put pasta back on your menu.
I suggest you make a big batch for leftovers (lasts up to 5 days) and freeze (up to 2 months recommended) for a later date.
Season to taste as always.
