Stovetop Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the grated carrots, minced celery, and finely minced yellow onion. Sauté the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they have softened, about 6 minutes.

2. Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

3. Stir in the TVP, rinsed lentils, vegetable stock, marinara sauce, red wine, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, freshly cracked black pepper, and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the lentils become tender. This process usually takes around 35 minutes.

5. For a smoother texture, transfer 2 cups of the sauce to a blender. Allow it to cool briefly and then blend until nearly smooth. Return the blended sauce to the pan and stir to combine. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender directly in the pan, blending the sauce to your desired consistency while still maintaining some texture.

6. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt if needed.

7. Serve over your choice of cooked pasta.

Slowcooker Method

1. Add lentils and water to slowcooker. Cook on low until lentils are tender (if they’re still a bit crunchy feel free to add more water and cook until you get the desired texture). The time may vary, in my slowcooker it takes about 3 hours.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients except for the TVP, stir and cook for another hour.

3. Check to see that carrots are tender. Stir in rehydrated TVP. Taste and season with salt accordingly.

4. Serve over cooked pasta.