Ragù is a traditional Italian meaty sauce with tomato, and is the base for a number of other Italian dishes. It can be enjoyed as-is, or with very minor modifications can be turned into a Bolognese sauce or a lasagna filling or various other things. Our variations from tradition are mainly twofold here: we’re using nutrition-packed lentils instead of meat (but with a couple of twists that make them meatier), and we’re not using wine.

Traditionally, red wine is used in a ragù (white wine if you want to make it into a Bolognese sauce, by the way), but with all we’re doing it’s not necessary. If you want to add a splash of wine, we’re not going to call that a healthy ingredient, but we’re also not the boss of you

You will need

• 1 large onion (or equivalent small ones), chopped roughly
• 1 bulb garlic (or to your heart’s content), chopped finely or crushed
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped (or 2 cans chopped tomatoes)
• 1 tube (usually about 7 oz) tomato purée
• 1 cup brown lentils (green lentils will do if you can’t get brown)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp black pepper, cracked or coarse ground
• 1 bunch fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp, freeze-dried)
• 1 bunch fresh oregano, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp, freeze-dried)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (failing that, 1 tbsp yeast extract, yes, even if you don’t like it, we promise it won’t taste like it once it’s done; it just makes the dish meatier in taste and also adds vitamin B12)
• 1 tsp cumin, ground (note that this one was tsp, not tbsp like the others)
• 1 tsp MSG, or 2 tsp low-sodium salt
• 4 cups water
• Olive oil for frying (ideally Extra Virgin, but so long as it’s at least marked virgin olive oil and not cut with other oils, that’s fine)
• Parsley, chopped, to garnish

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Put the lentils in a small saucepan, or if you have one, a rice cooker (the rice cooker is better; works better and requires less attention), adding the chia seeds, MSG or low sodium salt, and nutritional yeast (or yeast extract). as well as the cumin. Add 4 cups boiling water and turn on the heat to cook them. This will probably take about 15–20 minutes; you want the lentils to be soft; a tiny bit past al dente, but not so far as mushy.

2) Fry the onion in some olive oil in a big pan (everything is going in here eventually if the pan is big enough; if it isn’t, you’ll need to transfer to a bigger pan in a bit). Once they’re nearly done, throw in the garlic too. If the lentils aren’t done yet, take the onions and garlic off the heat while you wait. After a few times of doing this recipe, you’ll be doing everything like clockwork and it’ll all align perfectly.

3) Drain the lentils (if all the water wasn’t absorbed; again, after doing it a few times, you’ll just use the right amount of water for your apparatus) but don’t rinse them (remember you put seasonings in here!), and add them to the pan with the onions and garlic; add a splash more olive oil if necessary, and stir until all the would-be-excess fat is absorbed into the lentils.

Note: the excess fat to be absorbed by the lentils was a feature not a bug; we wanted a little fat in the lentils! Makes the dish meatier and tastier, as well as more nutrient-dense.

4) add the tomatoes and tomato purée, stirring them in thoroughly; add the basil and oregano too and stir those in as well. Set it on a low heat for at least 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally to let the flavors blend.

(if you happen to be serving pasta with it, then the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta is a good time for the flavors to do their thing)

5) take it off the heat, and add the parsley garnish. It’s done!

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• What Is The Mediterranean Diet, Anyway?
• Four Ways To Upgrade The Mediterranean
• Eat More (Of This) For Lower Blood Pressure ← one more reason for the brown lentils today
• Chia: The Tiniest Seeds With The Most Value
• Black Pepper’s Impressive Anti-Cancer Arsenal
• The Many Health Benefits of Garlic
• Olive Oil: Is “Extra Virgin” Worth It?

Take care!