Ingredients
500g of minced meat (either lean beef, pork or pork & veal)
1 brown onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 carrot, peeled and grated
200g mushrooms, peeled and sliced
1 zucchini, grated
1 tin (400g) of brown lentils
1 jar of pasta sauce
2 Tablespoons of parmesan cheese
Pasta of choice
Optional: fresh basil
Method
- In a large frying pan, fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes on medium heat in a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the grated carrot, grated zucchini, and sliced mushrooms, fry until cooked through (about 5 minutes).
- At this point, I remove the above mixture from the frying pan and give it a brief whiz in the blender to finely chop it. Or you can leave it in the frying pan and go to the next step.
- Add the minced meat and lentils cook until meat is browned. If you removed the vegetable and onion mixture, mix it back in with the meat.
- Add the pasta sauce, mix well.
- Reduce the heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile boil the pasta.
- Final step, mix through the parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Tips
I double or triple the ingredients to make a large batch and then freeze it to use for a quick and easy meal in the following weeks.
The mixture can also be used to make a lasagne.