Olive oil in oversized deep skillet or Dutch oven pot on medium heat. Add all veggies above and garlic. Saut for about 8-10 min on medium heat.
I personally cook my noodles at the same time so they are piping hot. I like to add a little olive oil and Italian seasoning to water. (Like 1 tbs to water as its coming to boil).
After veggies are sauted until slightly tender, add your favorite jar sauce. Add cooked lentils. Simmer 8-10 min on low heat. TIP: I keep lentils whole but you can crush/mash them if you want more of a ground beef or meat texture to the sauce. Add seasonings mentioned at this step!
Sometimes I also cook the lentils directly in the sauce for 6-8 minutes. If you choose that option just put 1/2 cup of water or red wine in sauce to simmer lentils if your sauce is too thick. The easy method is to cook in advance and just add to sauce above as mentioned. :-)
Final step is to serve the sauce over your hot pasta! TIP: You can add crushed cashews tossed in olive oil and garlic salt w/ Italian seasoning and nutritional yeast for garnish for the Parmesan cheese yummy effect! I mix the ingredients together in food processor! Depending on how hard core your vegan lifestyle. Enjoy!
