Lentil Spaghetti
If you know my family, you know lentil spaghetti. And if you don’t know lentil spaghetti then you may think this dish is rather odd – and honestly, I’m somewhat inclined to agree with you there! A recipe passed down from my dad’s mum (mama) to my dad on a handwritten note as he went to university, this is a dish he and my mum frequently made for us growing up. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is a spaghetti bolognese but actually the lentils are gently spiced making it more like dhal with spaghetti...I told you, odd, but I assure you it works. My dad passed away when I was 10 – so I truly understand the power of food, and its connection to memory, to family and to love. To me, this recipe is love, and I share it in solidarity with those who can no longer eat with their families.
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1white onion, finely diced
- 3cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 10 mLground cumin
- 7.5 mLground coriander
- 5 mLgaram masala
- 30 mLtomato puree
- 200 gramsdry red lentils
- 1 literwater
- 1chicken/vegetable stock cube
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 5 gramsfresh coriander, finely chopped
- 400 gramsdry spaghetti
- salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- Cheddar or Parmesan, grated
Instructions
- 1
Add 1–2 tbsp olive oil to a large pan over a medium heat.
- 2
Add in the chopped onion and cook for 7–10 minutes until soft and lightly golden, then add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- 3
Next, add in the spices and cook for 3 minutes until fragrant, then add the tomato puree and cook for a final 3–4 minutes.
- 4
Add in the lentils, water and stock cube and let that bubble away for around 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the lentils are soft and the water has reduced to a thick sauce.
- 5
Add in the lemon juice and fresh coriander then taste and season well with salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat to very low and let it sit there while you cook your spaghetti.
- 6
Place another pot of boiling water on to boil and add a generous pinch of salt. Cook the spaghetti for 10 minutes until al dente. Drain and toss through a drizzle of olive oil.
- 7
Serve up the spaghetti and top with the lentils, and optional cheddar or Parmesan – I’ll let you decide whether you mix everything together or not! Enjoy!