Slow cooker veggie bolognese
A really rich vegetarian slow cooker bolognese that’s perfect for serving with spaghetti or made into a veggie lasagne, pasta bake or cottage pie. It makes six generous servings, keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days and can be frozen for 4 months.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower, vegetable or light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2–3 medium carrots, about 200g/7oz, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 200g/7oz mushrooms, any kind, sliced
- 2 x 400g tins green lentils, drained and rinsed
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 150ml/5fl oz hot vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves, or 1 fresh
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- freshly cooked pasta, grated cheese and basil, to serve (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the onion over a medium–high heat for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Tip the onion and garlic into the slow cooker and add the carrots, mushrooms, lentils, tomatoes, stock, tomato purée, sugar and herbs. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on high for 4–5 hours or low for 6–8 hours.
Serve with freshly cooked pasta, grated cheese and fresh basil, if you like.
Recipe Tips
You can use any mushrooms you like for this bolognese, but small chestnut mushrooms work particularly well. Slice your mushrooms (not too thinly), or quarter them if they’re small.
You can use 1 tsp garlic granules or powder instead of fresh garlic in this recipe if you like.
You can use any tinned lentils for this bolognese. Sachets of lentils work too (although they are more expensive), or add tinned beans or chickpeas instead if you have some handy.