Natalie's Lentil Bolognese

One of the most disappointing moments of not really being a meat eater (I say ‘not really’, as I still cook and taste meat as part of my work and love of cooking), for me, is when a big bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese is put on the table.

The hearty sauce filled bubbling away on the stove for hours on end only to result in me eating either plain pasta with Parmesan, or some left overs, never feels satisfying.

Enter my Lentil Bolognese.

It’s vegan, but just as hearty and delicious as the original, meaty version. The ingredients are mostly the same as the original so it’s easy to do a big cook up of both in tandem if you have a family with varying dietary preferences like mine. And, topped with plenty of parmesan cheese, I’m never left feeling like I missed out.

Natalie’s Lentil Bolognese
Makes 6-8 generous serves.

Ingredients
- 2 Onions, diced
- Olive Oil
- 3 carrots, diced
- 15 or so button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 3 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cans of cooked brown lentils, rinsed and drained. You can also use dried red lentils if you prefer, or a mix.
- 3 400gm tins of finely chopped tomatoes (I used Mutti Polpa, here).
- Fresh or dried oregano, or fresh basil (or both)
- 3-4 large bay leaves

Method

1. Place the onions, carrots and a generous glug of olive oil into a large saucepan. Cook on a medium heat until the onions are translucent.

2. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until they start to soften.

3. Add the garlic and stir through for 30 seconds or so, before adding the tomato paste. Stir until it’s coating most of the ingredients.

4. Add the lentils, herbs and bay leaves, then the canned tomatoes. Also add two tomato cans filled with water to the pot before bringing up to a boil.

5. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and with the lid resting just off to the side on top (allow steam out but hopefully stop splatters), cook for 1.5-2 hours, keeping an eye on it to make sure the liquid doesn’t reduce too much (just add a little more water if it starts to dry out but keep in mind your serving time - you don’t want watery bolognese in the end!).

6. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and season well with salt and pepper. If you have any fresh basil or oregano, a little added at the end is also delicious.

7. Serve on your favourite pasta and top with plenty of parmesan cheese. If you’re vegan, or have vegan guests, nutritional yeast is a delicious alternative.

Enjoy!

There would be easier ways to show you my Lentil Bolognese, but this seemed much more fun.

I love to batch freeze this bolognese into individual portions I can whip out when the rest of my family is having the meaty version. If you are going to freeze some, make sure you leave a little more liquid in it to allow it not to dry out when you cook it again out of the freezer (alternatively add some water before reheating in the pot).

I hope this gets more hearty pastas onto vegetarian tables this Winter.

Nat x

Pumpkin, Lentil & Cabbage Soup

Years and years ago, flicking through an old magazine at Mum and Dad’s (which I can’t imagine finding now as my parents don’t really read magazines), I remember seeing fenugreek powder and fennel seeds in a soup recipe with pumpkin and lentils. At the time having received fenugreek powder as a part of a gift in a kind of food hamper, I was excited to discover a way I could use it. I was probably about 22, still working an office job and hadn’t yet realised how important food would be in my life.

Although this recipe doesn’t contain fenugreek powder as it’s much harder to come by than fennel seeds (which are readily available in supermarkets), I’ve been making what I think is a version of this soup ever since.

Pumpkin, Lentil & Cabbage Soup - Natalie Zee

With only eight ingredients, most of which I usually have at home anyway, and perfect for freezing, this has become a favourite soup of mine over the years (alongside my beloved Minestrone and Carrot & Potato Soup). It’s not Alexander’s favourite so I often make it to freeze in batches, pulling it out when the boys are eating meat. (For those new here, I do not eat meat but I do cook it for them).

Pumpkin, Lentil & Cabbage Soup
(with Fennel)

Ingredients
- 1/2 a small cabbage, roughly shredded
- 1kg of diced pumpkin
- 3 tsp of fennel seeds, ground into a rough powder (I use a mortar and pestle)
- 1 large leek, washed, halved and sliced
- 1 and a 1/2 cups of green/brown lentils, rinsed
- 2 cups of vegetable stock (chicken would also work)
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 2 tbsp of olive oil

Method
1. In a large saucepan, cook the leek in butter and oil until it begins to caramelise.

2. Add the fennel seeds and cabbage. Cook, stirring until the cabbage is well wilted (3-5 minutes, for me).

3. Add the pumpkin, lentils, stock and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer>

4. Once the pumpkin is cooked and the lentils are just tender, season with salt and serve immediately.

Pumpkin, Lentil & Cabbage Soup - Natalie Zee

It’s delicious served with fresh crusty bread, but I really would say that of almost any soup.

Pumpkin, Lentil & Cabbage Soup Recipe Card for Pinterest - Natalie Zee

Pumpkin, Lentil & Cabbage Soup- Natalie Zee

You could make it a vegan soup by omitting the butter or using vegan butter, but the butter really does add a delicious flavour to the leeks so unless you’re vegan I would encourage you to use it (adding more wouldn’t hurt, either!).

Let me know if you try it and, well, happy Winter!

Nat xx

Mum's Ricotta & Pea Pasta

A lot of what I cook is heavily influenced (or a direct copy of…) something my Mum or Nunna cooked for me growing up. This delicious, simple pasta which I almost always have all of the ingredients for is one of those recipes and I make it at least once a month, especially now I have Alexander who absolutely loves it (and it works really well as a side with some penne or spirals for his little pasta-loving belly).

It does contain eggs but if eggs can’t be on the menu at your house for any reason, 'I’d add a littlestock or even cream to the ricotta to loosen it up and a whole lot more pasta water when mixing it through the pasta as an egg-free alternative.

If you can’t go a day without meat, some cooked bacon or prosciutto would work well on top, too.

Ricotta & Pea Pasta - Natalie Zee

Mum would make this often when I lived at home (which was over 12 years ago now! Crazy…). It was a kind of go-to when nothing was planned for dinner - ’I’ll just make ricotta pasta’. Now it serves as the kind of two-minute-noodles of my life, even though my hubby still likes actual two minute noodles occasionally (I can take them or leave them, I’ve never understood the fuss!).

It’s quite a heavy pasta dish which is why I don’t use as much spaghetti as I usually do, but feel free to use more.

RICOTTA & PEA PASTA
Serves 2

Ingredients;
- 120g of spaghetti (or your favourite pasta)
- 1/3 of a cup of frozen peas
- 1/3 of a cup of ricotta
- 1/3 of a cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
- Black pepper, to taste.

Method;
1. Cook the pasta with the peas in well salted water as per packet instructions.

2. Meanwhile, mix together the egg, ricotta and parmesan with a generous amount of black pepper (the pepper is optional but particularly delicious in this dish).

3. Drain the pasta, reserving at least half a cup of the cooking water.

4. Return the pasta to the pot and stir the ricotta mixture through with a splash of pasta water. Add more pasta water if needed.

5. Serve immediately topped with extra black pepper.

Maybe this isn’t my two minute noodles, maybe it’s more my mac’n’cheese, though I do still make mac’n’cheese I have to say,

Next time you have ricotta you’re not sure what to do with, give it a go! Super delicious and much quicker than one of my favourite things ever to do with ricotta - make gnocchi (and my almost-3-year-old loves it so hopefully your kids will to!).

Nat x

Carrot & Potato Soup

I was originally saving this soup recipe for the cooler weather but hey, it’s Autumn in Melbourne now and seeing as I love soup in any weather anyway, I’ve decided to share it (especially as I’ve been doing some planning and don’t have a whole lot of new recipes ready to go).

The best thing about this soup, for me, is that I almost always have all of the ingredients in the house. The fresh coriander on top is delicious, but it can be left out (chilli flakes or sauce is also yummy), and if you don’t keep fresh ginger in the house that might change if, like me, you learn that keeping a knob in the freezer and just grated off what you need on a micro-plane (skin and all, it’s fine!) is an option.

(….. I found learning I could freeze ginger life changing but at the risk of this freezing ginger business actually being news to no one, I’ll play down just how excited I was learning this a few years ago).

CARROT & POTATO SOUP

Ingredients;
- 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- 6 large (or 8 small) carrots, peeled and sliced into thick disks
- 1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- A bunch of fresh coriander, stems removed and roughly chopped (if you’re a coriander hater, you can leave it out, but it really is so delicious with it!)
- 2 tbsp of cumin powder
- 3 cups of vegetable stock (chicken stock also works well, as does water if you have no stock – you’ll just want extra seasoning at the end).
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- Greek yoghurt or sour cream, to serve

Method;
1.  In a medium saucepan, add the olive oil, garlic, ginger and coriander stems and cook on a medium heat until fragrant.

2.  Add the cumin powder, carrots and potatoes and stir for 30 seconds to coat.

3.  Add all of the stock and bring to the boil.

4  Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender (a skewer should go through both with no resistance).

5.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before blending. 

6.  Season to taste and serve with Greek yoghurt or sour cream, and fresh coriander leaves on top.


How I serve this to my 2yo;

He used to love soup and when he did, I used to add some red lentils to this recipe (with some extra stock) for protein and serve it with buttery toast soldiers. Red lentils are a great addition anyway for a more filling soup for everyone.

Now that soup is no longer and acceptable meal, I pull out some of the carrot and potato before blending, chop it up and serve it with butter toast and a protein (usually a boiled egg) and a little of the soup as ‘sauce’.  I always pop some fresh coriander, usually a long stem, on the plate too – he occasionally picks it up for a bite, but rarely twice in the same sitting.

PS. It freezes really well so I love to make this one as a part of a batch cook on a weekend (also a great soup to batch cook for someone in need and, without the yoghurt on top, it’s gluten free and vegan).

Nat x

Eggless Pancakes

One of Alexander’s beautiful little friends L, who he’s known since birth (L’s Mama is a close friend of mine), has an egg allergy.

As Alexander eats pancakes almost every morning (wholemeal with fruit and spinach in them, drizzled with honey and served with a dollop of yoghurt while I sit next to him eating the end of the bread or left overs, as is the life of a mama…), I set about creating a simple pancake recipe for L that doesn’t use eggs which I’d never done (I’ve never had the need!).

After doing a little reading on making eggless pancakes and then a little testing (to make sure my quantities not only tasted good but looked, smelled and bubbled-before-you-turn-them-over, just like real pancakes, so little L could learn when to flip them one day, too), I settled on the below…

A classic pancake recipe and one very similar to what I make Alexander every morning with fruit and spinach, but no sugar…

Eggless Pancakes - Natalie Zee

Classic Eggless Pancakes for our friend L

Ingredients
- 1 cup of Self Raising Flour of choice
- 1 cup of Milk (use plant based for a vegan pancake)
- 1/2 a tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of vanilla essence (optional)
- 1/4 of a cup of caster sugar (optional but delicious!)
- 2 tsp of White Vinegar

Method
1. Add all of the dry ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix well.

2. In a separate small bowl, mix the vanilla and vinegar.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and at the vanilla and vinegar mixture as well as the milk. Stir well immediately.

4. Dollop large spoonfuls into a greased pan (I use butter) and cook until bubbles appear on top before flipping over.

To make Eggless Banana and and Spinach pancakes, omit the sugar and add one mashed banana (or mashed/grated fruit of your choice), and 1-2 frozen spinach cubes, defrosted. If you use a more watery fruit, such as pear or cooked apple, you can add an extra tablespoon or two of flour to thicken the batter a little.

Serve either as you would your favourite pancakes.

Let me know if you try them! Also let me know if you’d like to see me try more usually-eggy, eggless recipes.

Nat x

GREEN SOUP

Prior to working under my own name, I used to go by ‘Healthy Natty’. I say it like it was 100 years ago but I think it was actually, oh, two?

I changed the name not only because I wanted to be taken more seriously as a photographer and not so much a blogger/influencer (I have no problem with these things, and I am guessing you can be both, now), but also because I hated the connotation of the word ‘Healthy’. I’d started sending back recipes ideas that contained sugar or butter for quotes and, occasionally, get replies along the lines of, ‘Oh, I thought you were ‘Healthy’ ?.

Healthy, to me, has always been as simple as listening to your body.

When my body says, ‘Eat loads of pasta with lashings of parmesan and a big glass of delicious red wine’, I never say no.

When, on a day I planned to do some exercise, my body feels tired and it’s extra difficult to get out of bed, I never ignore it. I would never, on that day, force myself out of bed and into the cold for a run.

And when my body says ‘I think I’d like some green veggies now’, I almost always make a version of this…

GREEN SOUP

Ingredients

- 2 x heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
- 1 small bag of frozen peas
- 1 small bag of spinach
- 2 zucchinis, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1-2 tsps of ground cumin
- 1-2 cups of stock (I used vegetable).
- Greek yoghurt or sour cream, fresh herbs, croutons and salt and pepper to serve

Method

Add all of the ingredients, except the yoghurt, to a pot and boil, lid on adding a little water if needed - but not too much as to not make the soup too watery. Sometimes I do this by accident and scoop a little water out before blending it up, but if you keep the pot on and stir regularly the top veggies will steam as the others boil.

Blend it up, season and serve with yoghurt, cream, fresh herbs or as I have here, crumbled mini-toasts in the absence of croutons (I love using left over mini toasts or crackers for this as to not waste them).

Variations
- Fresh herbs like basil, parsley and mint are delicious. I don’t add cumin when using fresh herbs (and with basil a few black olives thrown in is super tasty).
- If you have asparagus, green beans, frozen green veg or even lettuce - throw it in. This is the best soup for those vegetables from 3 weeks ago when you swore you’d eat more green veg… cauli works well, too.
- Parmesan, chilli or lemon (or combined!) stirred through at the end is delicious!

I hope, on those ‘I need more veggies’ days, you find this as nourishing as I do.


And before I leave I want to mention that listening to my body, to me, is not just about the physical but SO much about the mental and emotional. Not just where food is concerned (I truly believe a big bowl of pasta helps both my mental and emotional health, too), but, especially since becoming a Mum and through this insane pandemic, I’ve found it really important to stop listening to what everyone else thinks I should be doing for my health (Face masks! Exercise gently! Read more! Yoga!), and look inside myself for what I need.

Sometimes, what I need, is help figuring what I need out, and that’s OK. But I no longer find it OK to be told, by anyone, what it is I need for my own health.

Does that make sense?

I hope so.

Nat x

BAKED BEANS

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to escape to the country for a mostly wine/lots of fire/sometimes hiking weekend.  Perfect Winter formula.

Then, on the way home, we stopped at a cute little cafe for some lunch and a final chat and laugh. I ordered baked beans, and went home that night to make them (in a giant batch to enjoy all week).

I thought I'd share what I include in my baked beans;

BAKED BEANS
Makes - loads!  OK, just use less beans to reduce the amount.

Ingredients;
- 2 onions, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3 sticks of celery, washed and roughly chopped (reserve leaves, too)
- 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 can of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained.
- 1/2 a tsp of chilli flakes
- A pinch of cayenne pepper (obviously remove this and the chilli if you don't like hot)
- 1 tsp of smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp of tomato paste/puree
- 1 can of good quality crushed tomatoes
- 2-3 tbsp of olive oil

(Simple) Method;
1.  Fry the onions and celery in the olive oil until it starts to go golden, stirring frequently.
2.  Add the garlic, chilli flakes, cayenne pepper and paprika and stir for another minute.
3.  Add the chickpeas and tomato paste.  Stir for a further minute.
4.  Add the crushed tomatoes and enough water to cover the mix.  Allow to come to the boil.
5.  Simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
6.  Add the cannelini beans and cook for 5-10 minutes more.
7.  Stir through the reserved celery leaves and season to taste.

So easy!  Though not technically baked.

Delicious with crumbled feta, or even a little lemon zest on top.

And definitely with buttery bread!

If you missed the building of this scene, take a look at the 'BTS' story highlights on my Insta.  I forgot to take other behind the scenes photos because last week was insane.

Let me know if you give them a go!

Nat x

 

'MINESTRA'

I love Minestrone.  When I was a child, I am told I would eat two big bowls of it (while my little brother had to be distracted by playing with boats in a water tub because he hated all things except peanut butter sandwiches without crusts and mashed potato).  As an adult?  I do the same.

Everyone has their own minestrone recipe, and truthfully, I never do the same thing twice and believe Minestrone can be made out of the vegetables that haven't been used yet at the end of the week (I endorse this fully, less waste!), but this recipe is my ideal situation and my perfect mix.

The only 100% necessary constant for me?  Pumpkin.  And the soup MUST be cooked until the pumpkin has disintegrated to make it thick and decadent.

Yes, vegetables in soup is decadent to me.  

So here it is - my Minestrone, or, as Nonna calls it, 'Minestra'

(stay tuned for the behind the scenes snaps & styling tips at the bottom).

The best part about Minestrone?  

It's all chop-chop-chop and throw in a pot.

NATALIE'S MINESTRA

You will need;
- 1/2 a medium sized pumpkin, chopped into small-ish cubes
- 1 large white potato, diced larger than the pumpkin
- 2 sticks of celery, sliced
- 1/4 of a cabbage, shredded roughly (with a knife will do)
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped roughly (including stem)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 can of the best quality crushed tomatoes you can get
- About 150gms of pasta of your choice (my choice?  Always thin spaghetti).
- 1 can of cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- Fresh herbs (oregano or basil) or dried oregano.
- Parmesan cheese, and the rind if possible (or this is a great time to use that left over rind).

To make it;
1. Pop all of the ingredients except for the chickpeas and pasta in a pot and top with water.  Include your parmesan rind too, if you have one.

2.  Bring to the boil and then simmer - most likely for about 90 minutes, or until the pumpkin is mushy (important!).

3.  Add the chickpeas and pasta (and a little extra water, if needed, as the pasta will absorb a lot), and cook until the pasta is al dente (or, 'all dental', if my spell check is to be trusted).

4.  To serve, season to taste and top with even more parmesan cheese, grated on top.

(My Nonna likes to make it with a fresh chilli inside so the heat works through the soup, which is delicious, but the chillies I have at the moment are too hot for it!)
 

I thought it would also be fun to start sharing a few behind the scenes snaps (just from my phone, nothing fancy), with each post.  So, see below (and you're always welcome to ask me questions via Insta DM or email - natalie@nataliezee.com, and I'll do my best to answer them in future posts).

And finally, as I'm not into eating cold food, and therefore super passionate about photographing food the day after (as this was), my top tip for photographing soup the day after without having to heat it?

Mix extra water through it to get it's warmed consistency before you put it in the bowls, and once it's in the bowl, spray the top with water if anything looks a bit dry.

(I'll be sharing more tips on my newsletter over coming months - if you'd like to be included, head here).

Don't forget to tag me (@natalie.zee) or email me if you give this recipe a try, I'd love to see it & share it on my stories!

And what were the three ingredients not pictured?  Canned tomatoes, cheese rind & chickpeas!

Thanks for reading,

Nat x