Red Lentil Pasta Recipe

Red lentil pasta served on a white plate with superfood marinara sauce.

4.96 from 25 votes

Red lentil pasta has been a game-changer when it comes to quick weeknight meals. Lentil pasta cooks like traditional pasta but brings more fiber and protein, allowing me to keep the sauce simple. I use penne, marinara sauce, and fresh vegetables for a 30-minute meal that no picky eater can resist.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Vegan

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 318kcal

Author: Anjali Shah

Equipment

stock

Ingredients

8 ounces Lentil penne pasta
25 ounces Jarred marinara sauce
6 ounces Baby spinach chopped
2 Red bell peppers diced
¼ Red onion diced
1 Zucchini diced
5 cloves Garlic minced
2-3 tsp Italian seasoning more or less to taste
½ tsp Salt more to taste
⅛ tsp Crushed red pepper more to taste
8 tbsp Parmesan cheese use 2 tbsp per serving

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to package directions.
In a medium sized pot, saute the peppers, onion, zucchini, spinach, garlic and spices (italian seasoning, salt, crushed red pepper) for about 5-10 minutes until soft.
Combine the cooked veggie mixture with 1 jar of Marinara Sauce in a blender. Blend until smooth. (Alternatively you can add the red sauce to the pot, and use an immersion blender to blend it together).
Combine the cooked pasta with the superfood sauce mixture. Top with parmesan cheese and serve.

Video

https://youtu.be/ZUEdgg9Z9r8

Notes

My #1 Secret Tip for this red lentil pasta recipe is to pay attention to how you cook the pasta. Lentil pasta cooks differently from regular pasta, which is why I stir it gently as soon as it is in the water to prevent sticking, and reduce it to a gentle simmer instead of a hard rolling boil to stop the pasta from breaking apart.
Do not over-stir: Once the pasta is added to the sauce, I stir it in gently to avoid breaking it apart.
Salt water well: I season the pasta water properly so that the pasta itself has flavor before entering the sauce.
Cook in stages: I give the onion and garlic a head start before adding my other vegetables so that it has a chance to build an aromatic base.
Cut vegetables finely: Chopping the vegetables into smaller, uniform pieces allows them to cook quickly and at the same rate. It also makes the blending a lot easier.
Blend in batches: To ensure the sauce is smooth, I blend my vegetables in portions, rather than all at once.
Focus on one thing: I either start with my pasta and set it aside to focus on the sauce. Or I start with the sauce, remove it from the heat while my pasta cooks, and add my pasta straight into the sauce after it has cooked.

Nutrition