Lentil and mushroom ragù pasta

Ingredients

• Pasta (dry)160g
• Red lentils (dry)100g
• Mushrooms (raw)200g
• Carrots (raw)120g
• Onions (raw)100g
• Canned tomatoes (canned)400g
• Garlic (raw)8g
• Recipe water (raw)400ml
• Olive oil (raw)15ml
• Salt (dry)3g
• Black pepper (dry)1g

Method

1. Rinse 100g red lentils. Chop 200g mushrooms, 120g carrots and 100g onions into 5mm pieces and mince 8g garlic. Heat 15ml olive oil in a broad pot over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot and mushrooms for 8–10 minutes until mushroom liquid evaporates; stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
2. Add lentils, 400g canned tomatoes, 400ml recipe water, 3g salt and 1g black pepper. Simmer partly covered over low heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until lentils break down and the sauce is thick enough to cling to a spoon. If firm and dry, add hot processing water; if too loose, uncover to reduce.
3. Boil about 2L processing water per two servings in a separate pot. Cook 160g pasta according to the packet until firm but no longer hard. Drain, retaining a little pasta water.
4. Toss pasta and ragù over low heat for 1 minute. Add retained water a spoonful at a time if needed to coat the shapes evenly. For one-pot cooking, set the sauce aside while boiling pasta, then return it to the emptied pot.
5. The displayed quantities already match your selected servings. For 1 or 2 servings, use a smaller pan and check early; keep the stated cut sizes. For 4 servings use a broad pan or uncrowded trays; for 8 split every ingredient evenly into two 4-serving batches (more if the pan or pot capacity requires it). Keep pans below 80% full and vegetables in one layer when browning. Repeat the cooking and doneness checks for each batch; elapsed time increases for sequential batches. Serve promptly. Cool any extra cooked food in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours, or one hour above 32°C. Keep the fridge at 4°C or below. Reheat cooked leftovers evenly to 74°C, checking several places with a food thermometer. Keep raw garnishes and cold yogurt or tahini sauces separate and use them cold within their label limits.