Healthy Spag Bol with Lentils & Beef

Who doesn’t love a spag bol?! Level up the nutrition in this firm family favourite, by adding lentils and vegetables! This recipe is packed with fibre, B vitamins and your 5-a-day.

Vegetarians can still enjoy this power packed bolognese – just switch the mince beef for Quorn or tofu

We suggest serving with 180g of wholewheat spaghetti.

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 large onion, diced 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 courgette, diced 
• 2 medium carrots, diced 
• 150g mushrooms, sliced or diced 
• 2 sticks celery, sliced or diced 
• 500g lean beef mince 
• 1 can chopped tomatoes 
• 600ml vegetable stock, made up with 2 stock cubes 
• 2 tbsp tomato puree 
• 1 tsp dried basil 
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 can green lentils 

Photo by Marco Verch

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic to the pan.  Saute for 2 minutes. 
2. Add the courgette, carrots, mushrooms and celery.  Saute for 5 minutes. 
3. Move the vegetables to the side of the pan to make room to add the mince.  Add mince and brown, then combine it with the vegetables. 
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, vegetables stock, tomato puree, basil and oregano.  Stir and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. 
5. Add the lentils and simmer for a further 5 minutes. 

This recipe makes 6 portions. Each portion, served with 180g of cooked wholewheat spaghetti, contains: 

Energy: 501kcal
Carbohydrate: 73g
Sugars: 10.0g
Protein: 35g
Fat: 9g
Saturated fat: 3.0g
Salt: 0.61g