Vegetarian Spaghetti 'Bolognaise'

So, you all know what 'Spag Bol' is, and I'm sure 99% of you love it. Seeing as I'm vegetarian, I had to get creative. And let me just say, I personally think my vegetarian lentil spag bol shi*ts all over the regular mince version!

This photo belongs to http://thellamamomma.blogspot.com.au. She also blogs recipes, and each one has a cute hand drawn water colour picture to show which ingredients she uses - clever!

Ingredients
(Serves 3)

• 2 Stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 Carrots, finely diced
• 1 Large zucchini, grated
• 1 Large brown onion, finely diced
• 1 Small red capsicum
• 2 Cloves of garlic (or 2 tsp minced garlic)
• 250g 1 Tin lentils (you could use dried lentils, however refer to my tips at the bottom of this page before starting!)
• 2 Tbs Organic tomato paste
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/2 Tsp Paprika
• 1 Tsp 'Veggie Salt
• 2 Tsp sugar
• Pepper to taste
• 2 Tsp mixed herbs or bouquet garni
• 1/2 Cup red wine
• 1 Cup vegetable stock
• 1 Tin diced tomatoes
• 1 Pk Button mushrooms (250g)

Method

• Sauté the celery, carrot, capsicum and onion until translucent, add in garlic, mushroom & zucchini - cook for a few minutes more.
• Add red wine, vegetable stock, tomato paste, tinned tomato, sugar and lentils, bring to the boil then reduce to a medium heat.
• Add in all herbs (feel free to add your own favourite herbs or spices here) and allow to simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
•  If you have used a bouquet garni or bay leaves, ensure you remove these before serving!
• Serve over pasta with some crusty bread - yum!

Tips

• If you are using dry lentils, you will need to cook them before adding them to your bolognaise. Place in a pot of boiling water, and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes. Continually check the level of the water as the lentils will absorb some of the liquid - you don't want them to burn to the bottom of your pot. I use tinned lentils simply so I can skip this step, and they taste much the same.