Can I Leave The Lentils Out Of The Rapid Ragu?

Our answer

Nigella's Rapid Ragù (from NIGELLA EXPRESS) is a quick and comforting meal of minced (ground) beef that is simmered with pancetta, tomatoes, caramelized onions and green lentils. The lentils provide some texture as well as a non-meat element to make a bowlful of the ragù a more complete meal. You could add some diced mushrooms, but in this case we would omit the water from the recipe, as mushrooms contain quite a lot of water that will be released during cooking. But keep an eye on the pan and add splashes of water if it looks like the ragù is becoming too dry.

If you don't have green lentils you could use split red lentils in the same amount, though these will break down more during cooking and you will have a thicker ragù and may need to add a little extra water during cooking. You can also omit the lentils completely, in which case you will need less water in the recipe. If you don't use lentils reduce the water to 50ml (3 tablespoons) but keep an eye on the pan and if it looks too dry then you can add an extra splash of water during cooking.