Split pea bolognaise

My meals seem to have taken a frugal turn recently (see also this chilli). Not for any particular reason (I've always taken the view that if you can make something delicious and it's inexpensive too, so much the better). Perhaps it's the cold weather that makes hearty dishes based on pulses seem particularly appropriate. And more often than not pulse-based dishes tend to work out pretty cheap. (Even if you buy beluga lentils, which are the caviar of the lentil world, the price still compares well to a lamb chop.)

This is a cheap and super-healthy pasta sauce. I made it with split peas, which keep more of their shape and texture, but you could make a quicker, slightly smoother version with red lentils.

This quantity should easily serve six. You could halve it if you like, but I like to make more than I need on the basis that it freezes well, or will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. And while it's not really any effort to soak split peas, the cooking time involved means I feel I may as well make a big pot of it.

Ingredients

1 tsp oil (olive, vegetable or sunflower) or cooking oil spray
2 onions
2 peppers, any colour
500g split peas,  soaked for 8 hours or overnight, or 500g red lentils (no need to soak)
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Pinch chilli powder or dried chilli flakes
1 tsp paprika (optional)
2 tins tomatoes
Pasta or jacket potatoes, to serve

Method

Chop the onions into small dice and the peppers into slightly larger pieces. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the vegetables for five minutes until softened.
Add the drained split peas or lentils with enough water to cover. Add the herbs and spices, cover and simmer until the pulses are cooked - about 30 minutes for red lentils, perhaps an hour for split peas, but it will depend on the freshness of your split peas and how long you have soaked them for. Check them from time to time to make sure they have enough liquid.
When the pulses are cooked, add the tinned tomatoes (break them up a bit if they are whole) and cook for about another ten minutes. Taste, season and add more herbs or spices if you wish.
Serve over cooked pasta or as a jacket potato topping.