This hearty protein-packed red lentil pasta sauce is the perfect 30-minute weeknight meal for pasta lovers! It's healthy, flavorful, and made with mostly pantry staples.
Red Lentil Pasta Sauce is one of those vegetarian pasta recipes that you'll want to add to regular rotation because it's easy to throw together using pantry staples, but it is still flavorful and delicious!
If you're like me and using to using red lentils in things like Red Lentil Stew and Red Lentil Curry, I think you'll be surprised by how delicious it is with tomato sauce!
Adding red lentils to tomato sauce is a great way to add protein and make dinner more satisfying. This lentil pasta reminds me a lot of plant-based Tempeh Bolognese because it has a lot of rich and savory flavors.
Serve with homemade Garlic Toast for a delicious dinner!
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Recipe highlights
- Dietary features: vegetarian, vegan, nut-free, soy-free, gluten-free optional (just use GF pasta)
- Ready in just 30 minutes using inexpensive pantry staples
- Packed with flavor from tomatoes paste and herbs
- This is a great way to add protein and fiber to simple pasta dinners
Ingredients
- Red or orange lentils: These cook much more quickly than brown lentils. They also have a soft texture, so they dissolve into the pasta sauce. Brown and green lentils do not work as a direct swap.
- Pasta: Spaghetti is my go-to, but any pasta works. Whole wheat, protein pasta (like actual red lentil pasta), rigatoni, etc.
- Tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste make up the sauce.
- Thyme, oregano and basil add herby depth. I use dry oregano and thyme for convenience and fresh basil because it also works great as a topping. One tablespoon fresh herb can be used in place of one teaspoon dry herb.
- Red wine is my go-to pot deglazer in savory dishes (like vegetarian tortellini soup). Choose cabernet or pinot noir. Make sure it's a fresh wine that you actually enjoy. An equal amount of vegetable broth can be used with 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar for a similar effect.
- Vegetables: I usually add a variety of veggies alongside the onions. Diced mushrooms, bell pepper, and zucchini all work well.
Step by step instructions
- Sauté diced onion in olive oil over medium heat until golden, almost brown. Stir it occasionally to promote even cooking. Decrease the heat if the onion starts to brown too quickly.
- Add tomato paste, dry herbs, and garlic. Saute another 1-2 minutes to bloom the herbs and toast the tomato paste. This helps enhance the flavor of the tomato paste.
- Deglaze the pan with 2-3 tablespoons red wine. This removes any stuck on bits and adds a lot of depth to the sauce.
- Add remaining ingredients: red lentils, nutritional yeast, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juices and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer until lentils are cooked through.
5. After 10-15 minutes the lentils should be tender. Add additional liquid as desired (I usually keep it thick like this). Pasta water is a great way to thin the sauce because its starchiness makes it thicker than broth/water (and it's already hot). This is a method I use in my tahini pasta as well.
Cassidy's tips
- Veggies: The lentil sauce goes well with a bunch of different veggies. Add diced bell pepper, shredded carrot, diced broccoli, etc. along with the onions for an extra serving of veggies.
- Greens: Stir in your favorite green at the end for a pop of color and plant-based iron. Spinach and kale should wilt very quickly.
- Lentil texture: Red lentils get mushy pretty quickly (think lentil curry) but I prefer them to have a firmer texture in this pasta, like with these lentil patties. Think al dente pasta. Of course, you can cook it to be soft and mushy if you prefer!
- Can I blend the sauce? Yes! I tested this out recently and the it works well as a blended sauce. I recommend using a high powered blender, as my immersion blender left the lentils intact more than I prefer.
Storage notes
I store the pasta sauce separately from the pasta, but they can be stored together if you prefer. Toss pasta with a bit of olive oil if stored separately to keep it from sticking to itself.
For best quality, keep both containers refrigerated for 3-4 days. Reheat individual bowls in the microwave or the entire red lentil sauce on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Looking for more pasta recipes?
For an equally decadent dish, try this creamy garlic mushroom pasta. These tofu ricotta stuffed shells are a great vegan option.
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Recipe
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Red Lentil Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti or pasta of choice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- mushrooms, zucchini, and/or bell pepper optional
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon table salt
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano see note #1
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- ¼ cup red wine or 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup dry red lentils rinsed and sorted
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce or marinara sauce
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil
- red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, heat a Dutch oven or high sided skillet over medium heat an drizzle with oil. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. If adding vegetables, stir those in and sauté another 5 minutes to soften them.
- Add salt, garlic, tomato paste, oregano and thyme. Sauté another 2-3 minutes, until aromatic.
- Pour in ¼ cup of red wine (or 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar) to deglaze the pan. Stir to remove any stuck on bits.
- Add remaining ingredients: dry red lentils, nutritional yeast, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juices, vegetable broth and basil.
- Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer over medium-low until lentils are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir about halfway through and add extra broth as needed.
- Serve lentils with the cooked pasta. Top with red pepper flakes, fresh basil and black pepper, to taste.
Video
Notes
- Herbs: One tablespoon of fresh chopped oregano or thyme can be used in place of dry. One teaspoon dry basil can be used in place of fresh (add with the other herbs).
- Red wine: I use red wine when I already have it on hand or have a bottle open. Balsamic vinegar is a great alternative.
- Leftovers and reheating: Store sauce and pasta separately. Toss pasta with olive oil to keep it from sticking to itself. Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days for best quality. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stove-top over medium low.
- Can I blend the sauce? Yes! I've had success blending it with an immersion blender, but I think it would work even better in a high powered blender. This works with or without the addition of vegetables.
- Vegetables: The original recipe did not include vegetables, but I recently tested this recipe with veggies and liked the result. I added 4 ounces of diced baby bella mushrooms, ½ medium zucchini, and red bell pepper.
Lois M says
I usually purée my sauce with an immersion blender to sneak the onions past my kids. Would that work with this recipe??
Cassidy Reeser, MS, RD says
I think it would work, but the sauce might be a little thick. Make sure the lentils are very well cooked and almost dissolving into the sauce. And if it is too thick, just add a splash of broth.
Anne says
Since red lentils get soft is it possible to make this ahead of time and freeze
Cassidy Reeser, MS, RD says
Yes it should freeze well! They may continue to soften a bit more as they sit in the sauce, but I don't think it would be a significant difference.