Recipe: Tomato Sauce with Lentils

Like life, blogging is a journey and you change and develop along the way.  I realised the other day that my About Me page had not been updated for about 4 years, and that Fuss Free Flavours will be 6 this week!  My first post was for lemon chickpeas, cooked in a spicy tomato sauce with some added spinach. Affordable, healthy, unpretentious, delicious food that anyone can make.

Despite needing a refresh, the About Me page is still pretty accurate.  Generally fuss free, non cheffy food that is largely plant-based.  Affordable and good for both you and the planet.  It is, I think a good description? Perhaps I have not changed so much after all.

This is a very simple tomato sauce, with a handful of lentils thrown in to add protein and dietary fibre to the dish.  I use this on pasta and as a pizza topping; the extra protein in the sauce means you can add fewer toppings and still feel full.  Blitzed to silky smoothness in a blender the lentils are disguised making this perfect to give to fussy children. The balsamic vinegar adds a touch of sweetness and colour.  If you do not have a jug blender you can blitz this in a food processor or with a stick blender.

Recipe: Tomato Sauce with Lentils

Makes enough for pasta sauce or pizza for 6

Ingredients

Glug olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 x 14 ounce (medium) can of tomatoes
100g / ½ cup red lentils
8 sun dried tomato halves
Dash balsamic vinegar

Add the oil to a medium frying pan, saute the onions and garlic until soft and starting to turn golden.  Add the tomatoes, lentils and half a cup of water.   Turn down the heat, cover and leave to simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are soft.

Check every 5 minutes or so, adding more water so the mixture remains runny.

Transfer to a blender – I use my Vitamix, add the sun dried tomatoes and some of the oil from the jar, and blitz to a silky smooth paste, add a drizzle of water if needed to thin – you want a spreadable, but not runny consistency.

Season to taste with the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper.

Freezes well.

Stages of styling the final photo