A Lentil Of This. A Lentil Of That.

Yeah, so- tonight I was feeling lazy so I made the old standby of spaghetti. I was looking for a little excitement, so instead of a jar of Ragu dumped unceremoniously atop a pile of poorly drained noodles, I decided to make use of a bag of lentils, and make a lentil sauce. Lentils are another fabulous vegan staple, and make great burgers, stews and sides.

                                                                   nom nom nom

For Sauce:
lentils- sorted and rinsed (about a cup and a half, but feel free to use more)
1 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
4 cups of broth. (i did not have four cups, so i used on cup, then 3 cups water with soy sauce and seasoning thrown in)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp pepper
dried parsley and oregano- whatever looks good
tomato paste
1 can diced tomato

Saute  the onions and garlic till they become fragrant, then throw in the lentils and the broth (broth/water mix if unprepared). Spice it up with the cayenne pepper and pepper, and throw some dry herbs on top. Bring it to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer for around 25 minutes or till lentils are tender. Then add the tomato paste and tomatoes (note- i had no tomato paste, or tomatoes, so I used half a jar of traditional spaghetti sauce. yes, this is like cheating. Or it's being very thrifty) Bring to another boil, cover and reduce heat, and cook for 45 more minutes.

While you are waiting on the sauce to cook, make the pasta you want. Rinse and drain pasta. Then spoon sauce right on top of the noodles. It's like spaghetti sauce, but with awesome lentils in it! Brilliant.

This is a dinner I dined on alone, as the Kid stayed with GinGin, and the Husband has yet to make it home for dinner. It was a quick, fun meal. The Bebe laughed at me in my apron, and when I cursed because I burned my lips off sampling the lentil sauce.

Leftovers will go in the fridge, and the Kid has lunch for tomorrow.

Tomorrow's menu will feature an African dish from the Great Lakes area- Maharagwe- which is basically a bean dish. Also, homemade hummus from dried chickpeas.