Lentil and Sweet Potato Bolognaise – Weaning and Vegan Recipe

I must admit I do like to cook from scratch if I am making any food for the little man. He is 7 months now and having more textures and variety. Of course I don’t mind the odd pouch if we are out and about but usually he has home cooked food. I also like to try and cook a little more vegetarian for us as a family and although I know I could never go fully vegan, I do try these recipes too. Lentil and sweet potato bolognaise is perfect for us as a family and for him.

I know for health reasons it is a good idea to eat less meat and perhaps try more plant-based options. There is often less fat and calories in plant-based alternatives such as beans and lentils, so perfect for aiming to lose a little weight. But there is also more fibre, which is great for bowel health.

Lentils have all sorts of health benefits and the red ones in the recipe are rich in iron, folate and a source of protein.

I scoured the internet for recipes for a lentil bolognaise and ended up kind of making one up myself, after getting some ideas from a few others. There are often so many and I like to tweak the vegetables and the weights of the ingredients.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Bolognaise

My lentil bolognaise is easy to prepare but takes around an hour to simmer and cook through. It is really easy to either blend of mash down if serving to a younger baby too.

I’ve struggled a little more with my little man eating lumps and we have had to move slowly with him. We used to blend down this lentil bolognaise recipe all the time but now we can serve it to him as it comes and he will eat it! I always think it is a huge challenge to get your kids to eat more lumps but they always get there in the end.

The Ingredients

Serves 2 adults and 2 children

• 1 small onion – chopped finely
• 2 medium carrots – diced
• 2 cloves of garlic – chopped finely
• 1 medium sweet potato – diced
• 1-2 sticks of celery – sliced
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 large carton of passata 
• 100g of red lentils (dried)
• Few splashes of balsamic vinegar
• Italian herbs to taste
• 1/2 a tsp of vegetable stock
• 1/2 a tsp of onion gravy granules  (these can be omitted if cooking for a baby)
• 300mls of water 

Method

– Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes, until soft.

– Add the carrots, sweet potato and celery. Fry for a few minutes.

– Add the dried red lentils and mix well.

– Add the chopped tomatoes, passata, herbs, stock (if adding), water and balsamic vinegar. Stir well and bring to the boil.

– Turn down the heat and simmer for 1 hour or until everything is soft.

– Blend or mash down if servings for a baby.

– Serve with pasta and this dish does go lovely with some cheese (if not following a vegan diet).

It’s a lovely recipe as the sweetness of the sweet potato goes really well with the sharpness of the balsamic vinegar. It’s tomatoey and just packed with veggies and goodness.

We always serve with wholemeal pasta to get an extra boost of fibre too!

If you make please let me know how you get on in the comments!