Creamy Lentil Pasta
A delicious and creamy lentil pasta dish that's easy to make and full of flavor!
Equipment
- Instant Pot Optional for cooking lentils quickly.
- Sauté pan For preparing the sauce.
- Sieve To drain the lentils.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- Oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes for cooking
- 1 cup dry black brown, or green lentils, or 2.5 cups cooked, or 2 cans drained and rinsed
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tsp fennel seeds crushed
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes chopped
- 2 cups 480 ml vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup 180 ml heavy (double) cream
- 1 cup 100 g parmesan, pecorino, or Italian hard cheese
- 1 bunch basil chopped
- Lemon wedges for squeezing
Instructions
- If cooking lentils from dry, start this process first. For black lentils, use an Instant Pot: combine 1 cup of lentils with 1.75 cups of salted water, cook on HIGH for 9 minutes, and allow for a natural release for 10 minutes.
- In a large, deep-sided sauté pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil from the sundried tomato jar. Sauté the onions until soft, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Add the crushed garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the crushed fennel seeds to the pan and sauté until fragrant, which should be about 1 minute.
- Quickly add a bit more oil, along with the smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Sauté briefly until the spices are well distributed.
- Stir in the tomato paste and chopped sundried tomatoes until everything is well mixed.
- Drain the cooked lentils in a sieve or rinse canned lentils until the water runs clear.
- Add the lentils to the sauté pan and increase the heat. Mix well so that the lentils absorb the flavors.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cover the pan initially, then uncover it for the last few minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
- Stir in the cream, cheese, and chopped basil over low heat until the cheese melts and the basil wilts into the sauce.
- Let the dish sit covered for an additional 5 minutes to thicken before stirring again and serving.
Notes
For a vegan option, substitute the heavy cream and cheese with plant-based alternatives.