The first step is to cook up the lentils. If you are a meal prep person that preps lentils for the upcoming week, you will need about 2 cups of cooked up lentils. I mention above, I had so many lentils leftover from NYE.

IF you do not have lentils cooked up, no problem!

Lentils: There are a few options. You could soak the lentils for about 1 hour (if you use red lentils, they’ll be ready quicker. I prefer brown lentils for this sauce). Strain and rinse when ready to start sauce.

Second option is to cook up the lentils even the night before (or the day of).

If you cook the night before, rinse the lentils and strain in colander. Add the lentils to a medium size sauce pan. Cover with 3 cups of water. Add 1-2 teaspoons salt and a bay leaf. Let the lentils come to a simmer. Cook until al dente. Drain in a colander. Let cool completely and store in a an airtight container in the refrigerator until your’e ready to cook the sauce. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a few days.

If you cook the same day, it’s the same process. Add the lentils to a medium size sauce pan. Cover with water. Add 1-2 teaspoons salt and a bay leaf. Let the lentils come to a simmer. Cook until al dente. Drain in a colander. Set aside the al dente lentils and star the sauce.

Start the sauce:

Begin by prepping the vegetables. You could chop by hand or if you have a mini food processor, pulse the carrots, celery, and onions.

Next step is to heat up the olive oil on medium heat(I always prefer a good quality extra-virgin olive oil) in a Dutch oven or large sauce pan. Once it's heated up, add in the carrots, onions and celery. Stir until the onions are translucent (about 5-6 minites).

Next add in the chopped walnuts and stir together for 1 minute. Add in the al dente lentils and your fresh herbs. Stir to combine (2 minutes).

On medium heat, add in the tomato paste (I used about 2 tablespoons...canned or tube is fine, whatever you have on hand). Stir together to combine. The tomato paste should begin to darken a little in color and caramelize a little (take care that it doesn’t begin to brown too much, so keep stirring) (about 2 minutes).

Add in a splash of red wine (I had a leftover bottle on hand of some dry red wine, but you could also omit and add some vegetable broth). It’s about ½ cup total. If you don’t have wine on hand, add ½ cup vegetable broth (or water).

Stir and combine the wine (or broth or water) with the tomato paste, vegetables and lentils. Let it evaporate and cook down a little (about 3-4 minutes).

Add in the tomato sauce: I sometimes use strained tomatoes or plum tomatoes. I prefer San Marzano. You could use your hands to break up the tomato pieces (pull off the tough end of the tomatoes). If you used strain tomatoes, add some water to the jar and shake to get out the last bits of tomatoes. Add to the sauce and stir. If you used canned tomatoes, fill the can ½ way with some water and add to the sauce.

Simmer the sauce: Stir the sauce together and add in a bay leaf. Salt and pepper the sauce and check the flavoring. On medium-high, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce come to a simmer. Check on the sauce and stir occasionally to make sure lentils don’t stick to the bottom. Once it starts to simmer, lower and keep an eye on it. Keep stirring let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes. The sauce may thicken more as it's cooking. Add a little more water and stir.

The longer the sauce simmers, the richer and more robust the flavor. It has more time to all meld together and develop into the most delicious sauce. Check the sauce flavorings and season with more salt and pepper, if needed, to your taste.

Cook the pasta: When it's towards the end of simmering, bring a large pot salted water to a boil. Cook up the pasta according to the directions on the box. Keep in mind, you will be straining it a minute before it’s al dente. 

 *You could also serve with polenta. Even grilled pieces of polenta would go great with this sauce.

Finish off the sauce with the pasta: Add some of the sauce to a large skillet or saute’ pan and have it on medium-high heat. You'll be spooning out the portion you'll need to serve. Figure about a ½ cup per serving (depending on how much sauce you like with your pasta).

When pasta is ready, drain (reserve about ½ cup pasta water). Add the pasta to the skillet with the sauce and use tongs or a spoon to combine the pasta in the sauce.

Add some of the reserved pasta water or a bit more sauce (depends on how much pasta you cooked up. Keep in mind a serving is about 2 ounces (56 g) of dry pasta per person).

Stir together with the pan on medium-high heat (be sure not to keep it longer than 2 minutes, so the pasta won’t get over cooked and mushy).

Check the seasoning: If needed, add more salt, if needed, and freshly ground pepper.

Serve the pasta and sauce: Add the pasta to a serving bowl or platter. Drizzle on some really good extra-virgin olive oil.

Sprinkle on some vegan parmesan, chopped Italian parsley (or fresh basil) and red pepper flakes (if you’re using). Enjoy!