Red Lentil Ragu

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a large pot of water over high heat, bring to a boil, and season with salt. Peel and mince the shallot. Mince the garlic cloves. Trim the dark green stems off the fennel. Halve the bulb, cut out the v-shaped core from the bulb, and discard the core. Thinly slice the remaining fennel. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Place a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add 2 tsp olive oil. Add the shallot, garlic, and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and oregano and bring to a simmer. Rinse and sort the lentils. Add to the tomato sauce along with 1½ cups water. Cook the ragu, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.

While the ragu is cooking, remove the tough bottom inch of the asparagus. Cut the asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Add the asparagus and cherry tomatoes to the baking sheet with the fennel and toss everything with 2 tsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast vegetables until tender and browned in places, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Pick the parsley leaves from the stems, discard tough stems, and finely chop the leaves. Place the parsley into a small bowl. Add 2 tsp olive oil and red wine vinegar. Stir the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.

Add the angel hair pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the pasta. Return pasta to the pot and stir in the red lentil ragu. When the vegetables are roasted, remove from the oven, and toss with the parsley vinaigrette.

Divide the red lentil ragu between your bowls and top with the roasted vegetables. That’s amore.