Red Lentil Pasta Sauce
This herby pasta sauce is packed with protein from red-lentils and is ready in just 30 minutes.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 424kcal
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1047mg | Potassium: 1048mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 669IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 6mg
