If you're cooking your lentils from dry, start this process before you even start prepping the other ingredients. They can cook while you gather, prep and start the sauce. For black lentils: Instant Pot: 1 cup of lentils + 1.75 cups of salted water, cook on HIGH for 9 minutes, followed by a natural release for 10 minutes. Stovetop: 1 cup of lentils + 3.5 cups of salted water. Simmer for around 20 minutes until soft, but a little al dente.

In a large, deep sided saute pan, heat a few tablespoons of the oil from your sundried tomato jar. Keeping the heat low-medium, saute the onions until soft and then add the garlic. Saute for another 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.

Add the fennel seeds and saute until the fragrance is released, then quickly add a little extra oil and the smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Saute for a few more moments (keeping the heat low) until the fragrance is released and the spices are well distributed through the oil. Move on quickly - we don't want the spices to burn!

Add the tomato paste and sundried tomatoes and saute until they are well mixed in with the onions, garlic, spices and oil. Turn off the heat and set aside while you get your lentils ready.

Drain your lentils in a sieve once they're cooked, or if you're using canned. The kind of sieve you use for icing sugar is ideal, as the holes in pasta colanders can be too large for lentils. Rinse them until the water is running clear - this is an important step keep the sauce from being muddied by the color of the dark cooking water.

Add the lentils to the pan and turn the heat back up. Mix through.

Add the vegetable stock and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Start off with the pan covered, but uncover it for the last couple of minutes. The sauce should thicken up as the lentils drink up some of the water.

Finally, stir in the cream, cheese and basil over a very low heat until the cheese has melted through and the basil has wilted into the sauce.

Allow to sit (covered) for 5 minutes to thicken up, then give it another stir and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.