This Italian-inspired recipe is excellent for a healthy, high-protein vegetarian dinner, meal prep, and packed lunch. You’ll love this recipe because it cooks in one pot in about 30 minutes; it’s straightforward, ultra-creamy, and deeply satisfying. Along with our lentil curry, lentil soup, and curry lentil soup, this creamy lentil pasta is one of those recipes that will make you feel nourished and comforted at the same time. Also, lentils are the oldest legumes domesticated by humans and are a nutrition powerhouse. You can learn more about them in our guide on how to cook lentils.
Pasta
For this lentil pasta recipe, we use regular wheat pasta, not red lentil pasta. Ditalini or ditali pasta is the most traditional pasta shape for this recipe. You can find it in most supermarkets, often from an imported Italian brand like Barilla. Alternatively, you can use small conchiglie, cavatelli, penne, elbows, or rotini. Substitute gluten-free pasta to make this dish gluten-free.
Lentils
Use dried green or brown lentils. We don’t recommend red lentils for this recipe because they won’t keep their shape. If you have red lentils, make this red lentil soup recipe instead. 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.
Carrot, onion, olive oil
We make a simple flavor base with extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped carrots, and onion. That’s common in Italian cooking (soffritto) and a best practice to add flavor to the recipe. Optionally, you can add some chopped celery to this mix.
Garlic, rosemary, bay leaves
Garlic, rosemary, and bay leaves add even more flavor and aroma to the lentil pasta. Substitute fresh thyme sprigs, dry oregano, and sage for rosemary and bay leaves.
Tomato paste
Tomato paste adds color and a rich, savory flavor (umami), enriching this dish and helping create a more persistent taste. If you don’t have tomato paste, it’s ok. Add a few more cherry tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes
You can use any small tomato variety, including cherry, plum, and date tomatoes. They add freshness, sweetness, and acidity to the dish. You can substitute a small can of crushed tomatoes for cherry tomatoes. Optionally, add more veggies like chopped kale, spinach, chard, and diced potatoes.
Vegetable broth
We cook the lentils and the pasta in vegetable broth. We prefer it to chicken broth so that the recipe stays vegetarian and everyone in our family can eat it. You can substitute water for vegetable broth.
Salt and pepper
We use salt for taste and freshly ground black pepper for aroma. You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like.
Parsley
We add fresh parsley, the Italian flat-leaf variety, at the end. It adds freshness, and we recommend it. Alternatively, fresh basil fits well with this dish. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add chopped onion and carrots and sauté for 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, grated garlic, a rosemary sprig, and bay leaves, and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring often.
2. Add the lentils
Rinse the dried lentils and add them to the skillet with vegetable broth, halved cherry tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Bring a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. The lentils should be almost cooked. Stir occasionally. Tip: different lentils have different cooking times, which vary between 20 and 45 minutes. Smaller and flatter lentils cook faster.Tip: if you want a creamier texture, blend some of the lentils with an immersion blender before proceeding to the next step.
3. Add the pasta
Stir in the pasta and more vegetable broth. Simmer for 12 more minutes until the pasta is al dente.Stir often to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. If the pot dries out, add more broth. Taste and adjust for salt before serving with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Tip: 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.
Serving suggestions
Lentil pasta is a nutritious and fulfilling main dish; a small portion will keep you full for several hours. You can serve it in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice or a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. We recommend eating it as a main dish for lunch or dinner. You can have it on its own or serve it with a side dish of vegetables, such as a simple side salad, roasted cauliflower, green bean salad, fennel and orange salad, tomato cucumber salad, air-fried zucchini, or roasted broccoli. Refrigerator: When refrigerated, the dish may dry out; add liquid when reheating. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezer: Freezing is possible for up to 3 months, but may affect pasta texture. Thaw in the fridge or microwave, and reheat with added liquid as needed.
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LENTIL RECIPES: Lentil bolognese, lentil hummus, lentil patties, lentil salad, lentils and rice Mujadara, lentil vegetable soup, lentil chili, Turkish lentil soup, Moroccan lentil soup, lentil loaf, lentil tabbouleh, and lentil curry. For more lentil recipe ideas, check out our compilation of our best lentil recipes. PASTA RECIPES: Pasta alla Norma (eggplant pasta), Minestrone soup, broccoli pasta, mushroom ragu, pasta pomodoro, chickpea pasta salad, creamy tomato pasta, fregola pasta, casarecce pasta, and paccheri pasta. For more pasta recipe ideas, check out our compilation of our 40+ easy pasta recipes.
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