Lentil pasta is a comforting and deeply satisfying one-pot dinner that combines earthy lentils and creamy pasta with flavorful tomatoes and herbs.
This Italian-inspired recipe is excellent for a healthy, high-protein vegetarian dinner, meal prep, and packed lunch. Ready in 30-40 minutes.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Mamma mia, do I get excited about this lentil pasta 🤌. You guys, like pasta fazool and pasta with chickpeas, this is Italian comfort food at its best 🇮🇹.
Easy to make, affordable, cozy, creamy, wholesome, healthy and deeply satisfying. Does it get better than this?
Louise and I think you’ll love this recipe because you can make it in one pot, it’s ready in 30 quick minutes, it’s nonna-level-tasty 👵🏻, and off the charts wholesome with 21g of protein and 19g of fiber per serving!
And if you are curious about more easy and delicious ways to cook with lentils you are in the right place.
From lentil bolognese and vegetarian lasagna to lentil patties and lentil soup we have over 30 easy recipes with lentils for your to choose from.
Buon appetito!
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Pasta: pick a small pasta like ditalini, small conghiglie, cavatelli, penne elbows, or rotini. Here we are using ditalini.
- Lentils: we recommend green, brown, or French lentils. If you only have red lentils try this easy red lentil soup instead.
- Add-ins: you can totally add more veggies to this lentil pasta. Try chopped kale, spinach, or diced tomatoes.
Foodie tip: The most traditional lentil variety used in Italian lentil pasta is “lenticchia di Castelluccio,” a small green and brown lentil cultivated around the small town of Castelluccio, on the Appennine Mountains between Umbria and Marche, Italy.
Instructions
Step 1: Sauté chopped onion and carrots for 4 minutes, add tomato paste, grated garlic, rosemary and bay leaves and sauté 1 more minute.
Step 2: Add rinsed lentils, vegetable broth, halved cherry tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Step 3: Stir in the pasta and more vegetable broth and simmer until cooked (about 12 minutes). Add more broth if sauce gets too thick.
Step 4: Serve with a sprinkle of parsley. Optionally you can add a squeeze of lemon or a grating of parmesan cheese.
Lentil pasta made this way is a fulfilling and deeply satisfying main dish for a weeknight dinner or a healthy lunch.
If you want a side dish to with it, you can try roasted cauliflower, green bean salad, or fennel and orange salad.
More Italian-Inspired Recipes
For even more pasta recipe ideas, check out our compilation of our 40+ easy pasta recipes.
Lentil Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 sprig rosemary or thyme
- 2 bay leaves or sage
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dried lentils green or brown
- 12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 4 cups vegetable broth + 2 cups / 500 ml for cooking the pasta.
- 1½ cups ditalini pasta or other short pasta like penne, ditaloni, conchiglie, or rotini (7 oz).
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil oil in a large skillet/Dutch oven.Add 1 onion and 1 large carrot (chopped) and sauté for 4 minutes.Add 2 cloves garlic (grated), 1 sprig rosemary, 2 bay leaves, and 2 tablespoons tomato paste, and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring often.
- Add 1 cup dried lentils (rinsed), 12 cherry tomatoes (halved), 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Bring a boil then simmer for 20 minutes. The lentils should be almost cooked at this stage. Stir occasionally.
- Stir in 1½ cups ditalini pasta 2 more cups vegetable broth, and simmer until pasta is cooked (about 12 minutes).Stir often and add more broth if sauce gets too thick.
- Taste and adjust for salt before serving with 2 tablespoons Italian parsley.Optionally you can add a squeeze of lemon or a grating of parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Cooking time: different lentils have different cooking times, which vary between 20 and 45 minutes. Smaller and flatter lentils cook faster.
- Creamier texture: blend some of the lentils with an immersion blender before adding the pasta.
- Undercook slightly: we recommend slightly undercooking the pasta, especially if you don’t serve the dish immediately. The pasta will continue cooking in the pot with the hot lentils.
- Dried lentils: you can substitute canned lentils but they require shorter simmering. Add half of the broth and only simmer the lentils for 5 minutes before adding the pasta.
- Ditalini pasta: you can use any small pasta.
- Rosemary sprig: substitute 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary or thyme for the sprig.
- Bay leaves: substitute sage leaves or 1/2 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs.
- Tomato paste: substitute 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, but add it towardst the end.
- Vegetable broth: substitute water and add an extra pinch of salt.
- Parsley: substitute fresh basil.
- Make ahead: lentil pasta can be prepared 3-4 days in advance, with slightly undercooked pasta recommended for reheating.
- Refrigerator: the dish may dry out; add liquid when reheating. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: up to 3 months, but may affect pasta texture. Thaw in the fridge or microwave, and reheat with added liquid as needed.
Very easy! I used GF rotini and it came out great.
This recipe is a home run. Would definitely make it again and without any adjustments.
Just about to try this recipe, and I can’t even wait until I’m done to mention the INCREDIBLY HELPFUL AND SEEMINGLY OBVIOUS addition of the ingredient measurements within the recipe! Thank you! Also all your food has been great 🙂
Hi Grateful,
That’s fantastic, I’m really happy that you like the measurements within the recipe – we find it very helpful when we cook our own recipes 🥰
Thanks for your support, so happy that you are here!!
Delicious! High protein and so so easy. Moving this to my weekly menu. Thank you!
This is really a 5 star dish although I made some changes just because I love the ingredients. Followed exactly but added 1 T Calabrian chiles (because I am a spicy gal!), 10 oz mushrooms (just love them and the nutritional value plus I had some leftover from another dish), 2 cups orecchiette pasta and 8 cups vegetable broth (since I added more pasta the mushrooms). Also, increased the garlic to 5 cloves because just love it.
Love your dishes and as a seasoned good growing up in an Italian home, cooking since I was 8 YO (now 70) I always adjust recipes so without my additions this is a perfect recipe with great nutrional value.
Simple, satisfying Sunday night supper! Thanks for the recipe 😀
This is Pasta WITH lentils, NOT lentil Pasta.
This one ist sooo good!!! I like every of your meals… which brand and size is the blue skillet?
Would like to buy the right one..
Hi Carla, Amazing – we’re so happy that you enjoyed the pasta 🎉
The skillet is from Amazon Basics, a cast iron enameled skillet and holds 3.3 quarts 🙂