Lentil chili sauce for pasta

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g lentils, red
• 500 g tomato sauce, with pulp
• 1 onion(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 chili pepper(s)
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 cube of vegetable stock
• Salt
• Paprika powder, sweet
• chili powder
• Cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• Thyme, dried
• Parsley, chopped
• e.g. peanuts, shelled
• possibly water if needed
• possibly sambal oelek if required

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

vegetarian / vegan

Peel the onion and garlic cloves and finely chop them along with the deseeded chili pepper. Sauté in a little olive oil (don’t let them brown). Add the lentils, crumble the vegetable stock cube and cayenne pepper over them, and pour in the tomato sauce. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are nice and soft and a little mushy. Stir frequently and add water if necessary. Season with salt, paprika, chili powder, sugar, and cinnamon—depending on how spicy you want it (you could also add a little sambal oelek). Add the kidney beans and shelled peanuts and simmer for a few more minutes until the sauce reaches a good consistency. Finally, season with the herbs. Goes very well with green spinach pasta. Tip: Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, although this will no longer be vegan.