3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion – finely chopped

1 carrot – peeled and finely diced

1 stick celery – finely diced

3 cloves garlic – crushed

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs

2 tablespoons tomato puree

5 or 6 sundried tomato pieces – chopped

250g ready-to-eat beluga lentils

400g tin of cherry tomatoes

Vegetable stock

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

250g Pappardelle or Tagliatelle

Sage leaves

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan, one which has a lid, then add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Fry gently until everything has softened then add the bay leaf and dried herbs

Cook for a further 2-3 minutes to allow the herbs to release their aroma, then add the tomato puree, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and drained lentils. Just cover with stock, put the lid on, and bring to the boil. Turn the heat right down and simmer for at least 30 minutes

Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the instructions on the pack, drain and stir into the tomato and lentil sauce

Take a small frying pan and heat the remaining olive oil. When hot, drop the sage leaves in and fry on both sides until crispy, remove from the oil and place on some kitchen roll

Put the pasta into a large serving dish, then top with the crisp fried sage leaves