Serves 6
Prep Time 20 mins
Duration 40 mins

Ingredients

• 2 tsp rapeseed oil
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 500 gm lean minced beef
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 courgette, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 heaped tsp dried basil
• 2 heaped tsp dried oregano
• 1 small pinch chilli flakes
• 1 low-salt beef stock cube
• 800 gm chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 400 gm puy lentils, drained
• 10 gm parsley, freshly chopped
• 400 gm wholemeal spaghetti
• 1 good grind black pepper
• 6 freshly torn basil leaves, to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently cook the onions until starting to brown, stirring regularly.
2. Add the beef and cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking up any clumps of beef with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the carrot, yellow pepper and courgette and continue cooking gently for 5 minutes more, still stirring regularly.
4. Add the garlic, herbs and chilli flakes and stir for a minute.
5. Add the stock cube, followed by the tomatoes and tomato puree.
6. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if too much liquid evaporates and it starts to stick.
7. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions.
8. Stir the lentils and chopped parsley into the sauce then cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add a grind of black pepper, sprinkle with basil and serve with the wholemeal spaghetti.
10. Sprinkle with Parmesan shavings, if liked, to serve.

Chefs Tips

• You could use minced turkey or minced pork for this sauce.
• Ideal for cooking in a large batch then freezing in portions.

Nutritional Value

(per serving)

Calories 465 kcal
Total Fat 7 gm
Saturated Fat 2.3 gm
Carbohydrates 60.5 gm
Fibre 13.8 gm
Protein 33.1 gm