Red Lentil Pasta 3/20/24

Red Lentil Sauce

Ingredients:
28 ounce can whole tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
5 chopped garlic cloves
3/4 cup chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped carrots
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup olive oil
2 bay leaves
Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Chili flakes

For the lentils:
1 cup red split lentils
3 cups vegetable broth


Directions:
1. Rinse the lentils if needed. Bring the lentils and water to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, then cover and cook the lentils until they reach desired texture, 7-10 minutes. (Yields more than 1 cup)

2. Heat a pan and add the olive oil to heat up.

3. Add the garlic and onions to simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Then add in the carrots and celery with salt and pepper allow to cook 5 minutes.

5. Add in the whole tomatoes (I like to remove any ends, hard pieces, or skins), tomato paste, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning.

6. Allow to simmer covered for 30 minutes then smash the whole tomatoes. Then allow to cook until desired consistency at least an hour and remove bay leaf.

7. Blend 1 cup of the cooked lentils into the sauce. You can blend all of it together or half the sauce for a different consistency.

8. Taste for the need to add more seasoning.

9. Serve with pasta of choice.