Ingredients:
Beef (or pork/chicken/turkey) mince - approx 200-300g for a family of 4 - or veggie alternative
1 tin cooked green lentils, drained OR 1/2 mug of red lentils
400g homemade tomato sauce OR 400g tin chopped tomatoes (add a pinch of salt, one of sugar, and 2 tsp mixed dried herbs if using tinned tomatoes)
300g dried spaghetti
A handful per person of 1-2 veg (see suggestions in recipe)
We suggest you do this in stages, slowly, and go as far as works for your family, here’s how your final recipe might come together…
Method:
Set a frying pan over medium heat, and pop a saucepan of water with a pinch of salt on another burner to bring to the boil while you make the sauce.
Add 1 tbsp oil to the frying pan and heat for a minute until it is hot, then add the mince and cook for about 5 mins, stirring frequently to break up the meat, until it is browned all over. If you want to use fresh veg, add it in with the mince so it can soften for at least 5 mins (10 mins for harder veg like carrots). Great choices here are onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, peppers, aubergines or courgettes – chop them as finely as you can to make sure they cook quickly. (Top tip: adding a small pinch of salt or covering the veg with a lid for a few mins can speed up the softening.)
Is your saucepan of water bubbling now? When it is, add your spaghetti (if it’s too long for the pan, just snap in half first). Check the packet for how long this should cook, but it’s usually about 8-10 mins. If using red lentils, hold off on this step until the sauce has been bubbling away for 10 mins as they take 20 mins to cook through.
Carefully add the red lentils (if using) and sauce or tomatoes and seasonings to the frying pan with the meat (it may spit slightly as the pan and oil will be hot, so pour carefully from the side and turn the heat right down for a moment if you feel it needs it).
Heat until you start to get little bubbles in the sauce, then turn down the heat to low and let it simmer to cook and heat everything through, about 5 mins (or 20 mins if using red lentils). If using tinned lentils and/or frozen veg, add them as you bring the sauce to a simmer and give them 5 mins to heat through. (Check packet instructions on frozen veg to be 100% sure about the time it will take to cook.) Great choices for frozen veg here include: peas, sweetcorn, sliced peppers or mushrooms, mixed veg, chargrilled veg, and squash/sweet potato chunks.
Once your pasta is cooked, drain the water (or use tongs to just pick the spaghetti out) and mix with the sauce and meat.
