About this Recipe

This Chunky Red Lentil Tomato sauce provides a great source of protein. Vegetarians will appreciate this recipe for the protein factor as well as for the amazing flavor that we promise you will experience in each and every bite. This is a new FAVORITE in Grandmother's kitchen. Not only do you get red lentils in this recipe, there are carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini and sweet pepper PLUS onions, garlic and herbs for seasoning! Include tomato sauce and you get this amazing red lentil tomato sauce recipe that you can eat with so many things.

Thanks again "Ladies of the Palate", you've outdone yourself in my books with this recipe. This sauce was served over fresh spiral vegetable "noodles" that were cranked out from butternut squash, zucchini squash and even carrots!

Other choices to eat with this sauce are any type of pasta or rice.

The "Ladies of the Palate" are a local group of wonderful friends that get together once a month, where they prepare and eat a meal. This meal comes with a theme, all hands are on deck in the preparation and cooking of the dishes and when all is ready, the table is set, the wine and conversation flows and a good time is had by all.

Grandmother's Kitchen Tips for Chunky Red Lentil Tomato Sauce Recipe

1. To cook the spiral veggie noodles, blanch in boiling water for about 2 minutes, drain and tossed them in a little butter and sautéed garlic. Dust with salt and pepper.

2. Cut all the ingredients into small pieces for this recipe to have the texture in the photo.

3. This sauce would be wonderful for a potluck event.

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Ingredients

(Print)

Serves 8

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock

1 large carrot, diced into small pieces

1 cup broccoli, chopped small

1 cup mushrooms, sliced into small pieces

1 cup zucchini, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup sweet pepper, diced into small pieces

1 Tablespoon dried basil or 3 Tablespoons fresh, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon dried oregano or 2 Tablespoons fresh, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup dried red lentils

1-28oz (796ml) can diced tomatoes

1-28oz (796ml) can tomato sauce

Directions

:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large deep frying pan that has a lid, or you can use a Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic and saute 3 minutes.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients except tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, still covered, for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and stir occasionally.

4. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Do a taste test and adjust herbs and spices to taste.

6. Add water or vegetable stock if the sauce becomes too thick.

Serving Suggestions: Spoon hot over your favorite pasta or vegetable noodles (spaghetti squash, spiralized butternut squash or zucchini)

Suggestions: To increase zest add red pepper flakes.

To increase earthiness add a pinch or two of ground caraway seed.

We get asked this question a lot. Where do you get protein from when you are vegan or vegetarian?

If you are interested in cutting down on eating meat every day, there are many other options. Once you start to stock your pantry and refrigerator with these food items and find some recipes that excite and satisfy you, it becomes easier to switch up your diet, a little at a time.

Here is a list of foods that have protein in them.

1. Lentils

2. Tofu, Tempeh and Edamame

3. Chickpeas and most varieties of beans

4. Nutritional Yeast

5. Spelt and Teff

6. Seitan - This is a mock meat made from wheat gluten.

7. Amaranth and Quinoa

8. Green Peas

9. Spirulina

10. Hempseed

11. Ezekiel Bread and other breads made from sprouted grains.

12. Soy milk

13. Oats and Oatmeal

14. Wild rice

15. Chia seeds

16. Nuts, nut butter and other seeds

17. Protein rich veggies and fruits: asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, blackberries, cherimoyas, guava, nectarines.

If you would like more detailed information about these protein rich foods read here The 17 Best Protein Sources for Vegans and Vegetarians