This post is sponsored by USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. Stay within your food budget without sacrificing protein. This Red Lentil Mushroom Ragu is full of protein and fiber and packed with flavor.

Red Lentil Mushroom Ragu

Pin it to your MEATLESS MEALS recipe board to SAVE it!

Follow Garnish & Glaze on Pinterest for more great recipes!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Sometimes I get sick of eating meat. This is something my husband can’t understand. Part of the reason is because I just don’t want to have to deal with cleaning up after prepping raw meat. That’s when we eat delicious meatless meals like 30-Minute Pasta Primavera, Artichoke Tomato & Spinach Pizza, and this Red Lentil Mushroom Ragu.

MY LATEST VIDEOS

Who has been keeping up with the Half-Cup Habit challenge to consume 1/2 cup pulses three times a week? If you forgot what pulses are, they’re dry peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas. Not only are they yummy but they’re also packed with protein, fiber, and other essential nutrients. A couple weeks ago I shared a recipe using beans (White Bean, Sausage, Pumpkin Pasta Bake) but today I’m showing you how yummy and easy it is to cook with lentils.

Ragu is typically a meat based Italian sauce but this recipe is a plant based version made with lentils instead. Do you cook with lentils often or even at all?

I’ll be the first to admit that we hardly ever eat lentils. Probably because when we were first married I made something with green lentils and it was just a green lumpy mush and the spices were not working.

I wasn’t going to give lentils another shot until I saw a similar recipe to this ragu. I’m sure glad I did because this Red Lentil Mushroom Ragu is delicious! For a meat loving family, we didn’t even miss it!

Lentils actually have quite a bit of protein. In each serving, the lentils contribute 13 grams protein as well as 7 grams fiber. I love when something is yummy and also healthy for me. Double win!

Normally, a ragu is served with a wide long noodle but I chose to use rotini so that the groves of the noodles would catch all the yummy ragu sauce. The lentils are so small they wiggle their way in between the spirals, clinging to it.

What makes this sauce so flavorful is the mirepoix- onion, carrot, and celery. The smell of these vegetables cooking is amazing! If a recipe starts with these three vegetables, you know it’s going to be good.

But this ragu goes further than that. It’s packed with herbs, garlic, broth, and tomatoes. And the lentils just cook right in the vegetable sauce. They’re inexpensive to buy and so easy to cook. If you haven’t given lentils a try or had them in awhile, put this Red Lentil Mushroom on the menu for this week. Enjoy!