Ingredients
- 1 x tin lentils (240g drained)
- 540g sausages (use flavoured sausages such as Italian, garlic and herb, or Mediterranean)
- Olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 100ml red wine
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes, blitzed till smooth
- 500g tomato passata
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs or oregano
- 500g linguine
- To serve: grated Parmesan
1. Drain the lentils well and mash them in a large bowl using a potato masher or a wooden spoon. You don’t want to create a smooth purée here so keep some texture.
2. Using a sharp knife, slit down each sausage and remove the meat from the casings. Add the meat to the lentils and mix to combine. Use a tablespoon to portion the mix into 16-20 meatballs, using wet hands to shape. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a wide frying pan. Brown the meatballs for three to four minutes, then turn and cook for a further four minutes, till lightly golden.
3. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a wide pan. Sauté the chopped onion till soft, add the wine and leave to simmer and for the alcohol to burn off. Add the puréed tomato, passata and herbs. Bring to a simmer and add the meatballs. Leave to simmer on low for 15 minutes with the lid on.
4. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water for 10 minutes until al dente. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water in the pot.
5. Divide the pasta and meatballs between serving bowls, serve with a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper and Parmesan.
