This was so delicious we prefer it to the meat version! One of Andrea McLean's kids favourite dishes, and for good reason - it's hearty and packed with flavour!
Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente - about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve (drizzle little olive oil to stop them sticking).
Sneaky Vegetable Bolognese
Prep all the vegetables; grating and dicing. Make sure you squeeze the moisture from the grated courgette and grate the red pepper flesh (not the pith inside) over a bowl to catch all the liquid and discard (or finely dice the pepper).
On the highest heat, fry the mushrooms in a little oil for 3 minutes. Add onions, reduce heat to medium and cook for a further five minutes. Remove everything from the pan.
Add more oil, fry the aubergine on a high heat for a couple of minutes each side, then remove from the pan.
Add more oil, fry the carrots and courgette for five minutes, then add the garlic and grated red bell pepper and cook for another minute. Reintroduce the mushrooms/onions, season very generously with salt, pepper and the oregano and crumble in the stock cube.
Pour in the passata with half the volume of water (1 jar passata + 1/2 jar water) stir in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, puy lentils and leave to simmer for at least five minutes or until you are ready to serve.
Just before serving, fold in the aubergine.
Serve on Spaghetti, season again, garnish with chopped parsley and add a pinch of chili flakes if desired.
Flexitarian Option
If you want strictly vegetarian - use plant based parmesan alternative and vegetable stock cube (otherwise a chicken stock cube tends to add a little more flavour)
Notes
If you want strictly vegetarian - use plant based parmesan alternative and vegetable stock cube (otherwise a chicken stock cube tends to add a little more flavour)