Packed full of seasonal vegetables, we bulk up this hearty recipe with lentils, a budget-friendly source of protein, vitamins, and fibre

Serves 4

Ingredients

250g Welsh grass-fed beef mince

50g British dry red lentils

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery stick

80g of one of the following in season vegetables: aubergines, courgettes, butternut squash or leeks

80g chard

2 garlic cloves

400g tin chopped tomatoes

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ to ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

one beef or chicken stock pot / 1 tsp stock powder dissolved in 300ml water

400g spaghetti or other pasta

10ml rapeseed oil

salt and pepper

Method

1. Soak lentils in water for one hour and drain.

2. Peel the vegetables, onion and garlic then dice. De-stem the chard and chop.

3. Place the meat in a saucepan and brown to caramelise for flavour before removing.

4. Add rapeseed oil, onions, carrots, seasonal vegetables, celery and garlic to the pan. Sweat until softened.

5. Add tinned tomatoes, minced beef, lentils, dried herbs and half the stock. Simmer. Add more stock if it becomes too dry.

6. Cover and cook for one hour until tender, adding more stock or water if needed and season with half a teaspoon of salt to taste. Add your chard after 40 minutes of cooking.

7. Boil a pan of salted water, and cook your pasta to the packet instructions.

8. Serve with some green salad and chopped tomatoes, and a rapeseed oil dressing.