• 2 cups boiling water

• 1 cup dry lentils

• 1 cup texturized vegetable protein (TVP)

• 1 cup vegetable broth

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 1 medium carrot, diced

• 1 stalk celery, diced

• 1 small red bell pepper, diced

• 1 fresh hot pepper, minced (Optional)

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 bay leaf

• ¼ cup vegan red wine

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

 

Polenta:

• 2 cups vegetable broth

• 1 cup water

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup Italian coarse-ground polenta cornmeal

• 4 tablespoons vegan butter

• ¼ cup shredded vegan white cheese

• Combine boiling water and lentils in a bowl and set aside for 1 hour. Combine texturized vegetable protein and broth in a separate bowl and set aside until liquid is absorbed.

• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a stew pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, red bell pepper, and hot pepper. Cook and stir until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add drained lentils and undrained texturized vegetable protein. Stir and add oregano and bay leaf. Add red wine and continue stirring, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes. Stir and simmer ragu until thickened and lentils are soft, 5 to 10 minutes; add a bit more water if needed.

• Bring vegetable broth, water, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle polenta into the water, stirring constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add vegan butter, stirring constantly.

• Distribute polenta evenly among 4 pasta bowls. Remove bay leaf from ragu and discard. Top each bowl with equal amounts of ragu. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon vegan white cheese over each bowl and serve warm.

715	Calories
25g	Fat
77g	Carbs
44g	Protein