Lentil Bolognese

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 leek, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 zucchini, finely chopped
1 flat mushrooms, diced
4 Tbs red wine
pinch of dried thyme
14oz canned tomatoes, chopped, juice drained into a cup and reserved
1/2 cup dried lentils, cooked
pepper, to taste
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbs chopped fresh basil
cooked spaghetti

1) Heat a pan over low heat, add the oil and garlic, cooking until golden brown. Add the leek, celery, bell pepper and zucchini and increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes, or until softened and there is no liquid from the vegetables left in the pan. Add the mushrooms.
2) Increase the heat to high, add the wine, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the thyme and the tomato juice, cooking until reduced by half.
3) Add the lentils and pepper, stir in the tomatoes, and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, sugar and basil.
4) Serve the sauce with freshly cooked spaghetti.

Review: Mmm, yummy. This involved a lot of prep work, so I wouldn't classify it as an after work recipe. I did take the opportunity to serve this as directed in the recipe, just to improve the finished product picture. After the pic, I dumped it all in a big pot. :)