Even though I love pasta dishes, it has never crossed my mind to use lentils for a pasta sauce. Until now, that is. Last week, I made a huge pot of this green lentil, tomato and veggie sauce and it is now my new favourite. If (like me) you get carried away in the kitchen and produce an overwhelming amount of the pasta sauce, no worries – it’s freezable.
Until now, I always associated lentils with South Asia (still remember the taste of dal I had in Japan, cooked by my friend from Kolkata), which is probably due to my lack of true interest in this versatile pulse. Only recently, I have started exploring various pulses and legumes, trying to incorporate them into my everyday diet. Lentils are a great source of dietary fiber and protein, making them a great chose for non-meaty diets. My recipe, too, is meatless. Vegan in fact. Enjoy everyone!
GREEN LENTIL, TOMATO AND VEGGIE PAPPARDELLE
INGREDIENTS
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
3 celery sticks, sliced
1 courgette, grated
2-3 spring onions, chopped
120g green lentils
bunch of freshly chopped parsley
fresh thyme
2tbsp tomato puree
400g (tin) plum tomatoes
olive oil
400ml organic vegetable stock
pasta pappardelle (or any other pasta you like)
HOW TO MAKE?
1. Heat up the olive oil in the saucepan. Add the vegetables, picked thyme leaves and half of the chopped parsley. Cook until the vegetables are soft, stirring often.
2. Add the lentils, tomato puree, stock and chopped plum tomatoes.
3. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan with a lid and leave to cook for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce is ready when the lentils are cooked and soft.
4. When the lentils are almost done, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
5. You can either stir cooked pasta into the sauce or add the pasta sauce onto the plates with cooked pasta. I usually opt for the second option, as I often end up freezing the leftover pasta sauce.
6. Sprinkle the dish with freshly chopped parsley and some grated parmiggiano cheese (if you like). Enjoy!
Wersja polska przepisu:
PAPPARDELLE Z ZIELONĄ SOCZEWICĄ I SOSEM POMIDOROWO-WARZYWNYM
Smacznego,
aho
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aho's homemade food 
Wygląda pysznie!!! Zrobie!
Czekam na foto! (I trzymam za slowo hihi)
Looks nice with the large pasta.
That’s so funny, because I always thought of lentils as French. At least before learning about them in Indian cuisine. When my husband was a vegetarian, I made spaghetti sauce with lentils, and actually, I need to make that again, because it was so good. And your sauce as well!!!
Puy lentils are my favourite. I think of them as French too (Puy lentils are) – they are smaller than brown/green lentils and have a nutty taste. I like them in a salad with vegetables and lots of dressing poured over while they are still warm.
This looks delicious!