Before I share today’s recipe, I have to give a huge shout out to my parents. It is so cool to see how my blogging has inspired both of them to cook more and try new foods. I’m so proud of them! They’ve always cooked, but it feels like only recently they have taken a new liking to it. It isn’t just about merely throwing together ingredients and putting a dish on the table; they’re understanding the idea that Food is Love. The more passion you have, the better it tastes. When you really get into the process, you see how much fun it can be, and cooking takes on a whole new meaning.
My dad tried out my recipe for Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, documenting it the whole way through and of course sending me photos. My mom has surprised me so much by trying out all kinds of new cuisine and even attending these vegan dinners put on by the local community college culinary program. She’s experimenting in the kitchen and using her Crockpot all the time. One of her most recent creations inspired this recipe. I was already planning to make some kind of pasta and lentil dish after seeing Foxes Loves Lemons Lori’s Lentil-Mushroom Ragu, so when my mom told me she was making pasta with a lentil red sauce, I was even more motivated to get cookin’!
I used Nasoya Pasta Zero Plus Shirataki Spaghetti. It’s only 15 calories and 4 grams of carbs per serving, vegan and gluten-free. I’ve seen this product in Publix so many times and always pick it up and read the stats, vowing to try it one day. Welp, I finally found a reason.
This one dish meal is extremely healthy, but still fills you up. I honestly felt like I was eating regular pasta with meat sauce (it looks like meatsauce, too). There’s a ton of different flavors packed into this dish, one of the most prominent being the heat from red pepper flakes.
So many people are eating more vegetarian dishes or incorporating Meatless Mondays into their schedule. I love the idea that this totally meat-free ragout could easily pass for a meat sauce in both texture and taste. You could pair this Lentil Mushroom Ragout with whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash, too!
Spicy Lentil Mushroom Ragout Adapted from Foxes Loves Lemons’s Lentil-Mushroom Ragu
Makes 2 servings
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red lentils
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp Gourmet Garden basil
1 tbsp Gourmet Garden oregano
1 tbsp Gourmet Garden parsley
1 8 oz package Nasoya Pasta Zero Plus Shirataki Spaghetti
Grated Parmesan cheese
Heat oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add mushrooms, carrots, garlic and shallot and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add broth and water, stirring to scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir in bay leaf, lentils, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano and parsley. Heat to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Cook, covered, for about 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir occasionally.
Rinse and drain the shirataki spaghetti and toss in the ragout. Bring heat back up to low-medium and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Grate fresh parmesan cheese over top and serve!
There are so many ideas out there for one dish meals, and today myself and some other bloggers are here to share our favorites with you! Check out what one dish meals my friends have come up with today.
Disclaimer: I was not compensated by Nasoya for this post. They don’t even know about it. I just wanted to share with you a new product I found and enjoyed!
