Butternut Pumpkin Lentil Spaghetti

Or:  "Lentil Pasta - Best Ever (2)"

I was making lentil pasta, opened the pantry and discovered I didn't have the ingredients I wanted.  No worries!   It's lentil pasta!  It's very forgiving.  After searching the pantry and fridge I decided to have a go at a pumpkin slant.  Should be tasty?  Yep!  It was.

Ingredients

• 2 cans Lentils - drained and rinsed (keep separate)  (this time I used dried brown and red lentils,  so soaked them a while first.)
• 1 can borlotti beans - drained and rinsed
• 1 can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
• oil or butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• l/2 - 1 leek - cut into chunks
• 1 medium carrot - roughly chopped into chunks
• 100g or so of Butternut Pumpkin - peeled and roughly cut into large chunks
• zuccini - peeled& roughly chopped
• 1/4 - 1/8 cabbage
• tsp salt
• tsp citric acid
• 1 - 2 tabs brown sugar

Method

• put in garic and leek into TMX and give it a quick whizz to chop
• scrape down and add butter
• Saute on 100 deg for 2 minutes on speed 1.
• Add carrot, pumpkin and zucchini and pulverise for about 5-8 seconds on speed 7
• Add beans (retain some beans to add whole later) and cabbage
• A couple of whizzes on turbo will see it done
• Add about 500-800g water
• Add salt, citric acid and brown sugar and lentils and whole beans
• Cook on 100 degrees for 30 minutes on Reverse Speed 1-2 (check it for water during the process and add a little if necessary)  (20 minutes if you're using canned lentils)
• Check and see if it's ready,  if it's still tasting a bit 'cabbage-y' or raw, then keep cooking for perhaps another 20 minutes or so.
• Serve over spaghetti...  

Verdict:
 The kids came home with Mr Frillypants from swimming lessons and asked what was for dinner.  When I said 'Lentil Pasta' I was met with "Yes!!".  It always surprises me that this is one of their favourite meals.  I mean...  it's just so disgustingly healthy!!!! Anyone would think I'd just said we were having pizza... from the Pizza Shop... with that reaction.

Tweeks:
I have tweeked the 'best ever' recipe to get this one.  Who knows,  I may tweek this again.  But this was damn tasty.  I'm wondering if I could dare add ricotta cheese,  but that can have a texture to it that can be off putting for little kids.  So, maybe I shouldn't risk it?  Thoughts?

This has zucchini and butternut pumpkin, which are both moderate in Salicylates.  If you're sensitive or have had some more Sals recently,  maybe leave out the zucchini.