Whole-wheat pasta with red lentil roasted pepper marinara sauce
This plant-based pasta dish is flavorful and kid-approved.
Growing up in an Italian family, meals prominent in pasta have been an integral part of my eating repertoire. Since I started eating a mostly whole food, plant-based diet and cutting out typical Italian meats like sausage, prosciutto, and meatballs, I needed to find a delicious alternative to these strong flavors. I switched to eating whole-wheat pasta and added umami flavors from olives and tomatoes. The addition of red split lentils came about from wanting to add more vitality from fiber and protein and a lot of flavor to a traditional pasta sauce. This is one of my family's — including my four-year-old son's — favorite meals.
Servings: 8 2-cup servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta
- 1 15-ounce can butter beans, rinsed and drained or 1 1/2 cup fresh beans
- 1 bunch of greens (kale, collards, turnip greens, etc.), ribs removed, roughly chopped
- 1 large red onion, diced into medium-sized chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons freshly diced oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt, to taste
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 12-ounce jars of roasted red peppers, drained and rinsed in a colander (4 to 5 roasted peppers)
- 1/2 cup split red lentils, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
- 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, quartered
Optional garnishes: Red chili flakes, freshly chopped basil, parmesan cheese, or cashew cheese
Directions
- In a large pot, boil water for pasta. When the water boils, add pasta and stir often to prevent sticking. About 3 to 4 minutes before the pasta is al dente or according to package directions, add chopped greens to the pasta pot and stir.
- Add drained butter beans in the last minute before pasta is done.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water in a heat-resistant container. Drain pasta, greens, and beans in a colander and return to the empty pot.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or wide sauté pan. Add red onion and dry-sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water and continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, adding more water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time when water has evaporated. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, pepper, and sea salt and cook until garlic smells fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
- In a food processor, combine diced tomatoes, roasted peppers, and half of the cooked onion mixture and blend until the consistency is slightly chunky. Transfer sauce back to the cast-iron skillet or sauté pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add 1/2 cup red split lentils, stirring until combined. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- When lentils are cooked, add quartered olives and stir to combine.
- Taste for seasoning. Ladle red lentil sauce onto pasta and stir to combine. Add optional garnishes.
Nutrition information (per serving)
- Calories: 407
- Total fat: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 73 g
- Dietary fiber: 15 g
- Total sugars: 5 g
- Protein: 15 g