Our student intern, Florence, was inspired to make this tomato, aubergine and lentil pasta sauce after seeing huge amounts of pasta and tinned tomatoes.

The recipe:

• Serves 3
• Vegan
• 20g of protein per portion
• £1.15/portion when served with pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable/ olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 a teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 400g tin of lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder or 1/2 a stock cube
• 1 aubergine, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 75g pasta/spaghetti per person (About 2 handfuls of dried pasta shapes or a £1 coin thickness of spaghetti), to serve

You will need:

• Large saucepan/frying pan with a lid (or use two sheets of foil to cover)
• Medium sized saucepan to cook pasta in
• Chopping board
• Large, sharp knife
• A table spoon
• A teaspoon
• A wooden spoon

What to do:

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the onion and cook for 10 mins until softened. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and paprika. Stir briefly, then tip in the tomatoes, lentils and a can of water. Stir in the stock powder and aubergine, then bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions and then serve with the sauce 

Nutrition information served with 75g pasta:

Energy	Fat	Saturated fat	Carbohydrate	Sugars	Fibre	Protein	Salt
478Kcal	8g	1g	83g	16g	21g	20g	0.86g

Tips for the recipe:

Crush your garlic with the side of your knife to make it easier for peeling.

You can substitute out the vegetables based on what you have in your fridge.

Leftovers can be stored for 3-4 days in the fridge, or they can be portioned into freezer suitable containers and frozen for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and then reheat until piping hot all the way through. 

Alternative serving suggestions:

To make the sauce into a cottage pie, boil 600g of peeled sweet potatoes or regular potatoes cut into 2-3cm chunks for 15-20 minutes. Mash the potatoes with a tablespoon of milk then place the sauce in a large baking dish or foil dish. Sprinkle with a handful of cheddar cheese, if desired, and bake in the oven at 200C/180C fan oven for 25-30 minutes or 35-40 minutes from chilled.

For stuffed peppers, halve and deseed two peppers bake on a baking tray, cut side up for 20 minutes at 200C/180C fan oven. Fill the pepper halves with the sauce and sprinkle a handful of grated cheddar/mozzarella over each half. Return to the oven for 10 minutes