I’m watching my fat intake, again. That seems to be a recurring theme for me. It’s tough when you love to cook and love to eat.

I love pasta and Italian sauces too, so I found a Bolognese (pronounced boh-luh-Neez) sauce that substitutes lentils for some of the meat and uses very lean ground beef. It also includes lots of fresh vegetables.

Bolognese Meat Sauce
2 Tbsp. finely chopped pancetta
1 lb. very lean ground beef
29-oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. dry lentils
1/2 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 c. tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. beef bouillon
1 c. water, heated
1/2 c. white wine (or broth)
1/3 c. skim milk

In a large sauce pan, cook the pancetta until crisp. A slice of chopped bacon may be substituted. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain.

Add tomatoes, onions, garlic, lentils, carrots, celery, parsley and tomato paste. Add oregano and thyme, and stir to combine.

Dissolve the beef bouillon in the water. Add that to the pan along with wine. Stir all together and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Turn off the heat, uncover and stir in skim milk before serving over wheat penne pasta. If you absolutely must have it, top with a little Parmesan cheese.