Loads of vegetarian recipes call for a tomato sauce. Whether its a Mexican Bake, Eggplant Parmigiana or plain old pasta, having a protein packed, go to tomato sauce is a must.
I used to fuss around and make whichever sauce was included with the recipe I was butchering at the time. They all varied in ways, but were all basically the same. Really, how hard should it be to come up with a good, protein rich tomato sauce?
After many meals and countless sauces I have come up with a basic, versatile and yummy version that even my meat eating relatives seem to enjoy thanks to the addition of red lentils. So without further ado I give you the VegHead Protein Packed, Go To Tomato Sauce.
VegHead’s go to, Protein Packed, Tomato Sauce
Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy20
minutes40
minutes1
hourIngredients
2 Tbsp of olive oil.
1 onion diced. I like a vidalia or other sweet onion.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic
1 bell pepper diced, colour of your choice.
1 Tbsp of dried oregano.
1 Tbsp of dried basil.
A shake or two or ten (your call) of red pepper flakes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, or better yet 4 cups of fresh tomatoes, diced.
1 cup of dried red lentils.
1 1/2 cups of water.
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan.
- Add the diced onion and cook until translucent.
- Add the garlic and let sizzle for a couple of minutes.
- Add the bell pepper, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and salt and continue to cook for another couple of minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, lentils and water and simmer until the lentils are soft. About 20 minutes
- Season with fresh pepper.
Notes
- This sauce is perfect over pasta or cabbage rolls. You can add more water if the sauce seems too thick. If you’re making a Mexican dish use 2 cups of cooked black beans in place of the red lentils and leave out the water. Also add a tsp of cumin and a handful of fresh cilantro.