The Italian pasta and lentils is a creamy and tasty soup, a perfect comfort food for winter days, when the cold bites. Warm and hearty, italian pasta and lentils is a tasty and nutritious vegetarian recipe. In fact, lentils are rich in iron, vitamins and fiber, ideal as a meat replacement; lentils-pasta combination provides a complete and hearty main dish. These legumes were grown and appreciated to their good nutritional intake since ancient times, especially by poor sectors of the population for whom meat was a luxury to be eaten very rarely.
Today it is worth to include lentils in our diet, eating them once a week, both as a side dish (stewed for example) and as a main course (in this vegan chili), combined with pasta or rice. Italian pasta and lentils is therefore an ancient recipe, of peasant origins, and can be prepared in many different ways. Here is my recipe, which you can prepare more brothy or drier, depending on your taste: Neapolitan pasta and lentils, for example, is a very thick soup, so much so that it can be eaten with a fork instead of a spoon!
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Ingredients for the Italian pasta and lentils
If you are gluten intolerant, remember to watch out for the label with the word “gluten free” on the pasta. In addition, pay attention to the lentils: examine one by one and remove any cereals in packs. Thoroughly rinse the lentils and proceed with cooking.
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How to prepare the italian pasta and lentils
Qui puoi leggere la ricetta in italiano!
For preparing the italian pasta and lentils start by discarding any shriveled lentils, small pebbles and cereals that may sometimes end up in the package; this operation must be done very carefully if you prepare italian pasta and lentils for gluten intlerants, because it may happen to find barley or spelt grains which contain gluten; if this happens, you can just remove them and rinse the lentils.
Put the lentils in a strainer and rinse them thoroughly under running water. Finely chop carrot, celery and onion. Let them brown lightly on low heat in the oil until the onion becomes transparent. Then add the tomato sauce, a pinch of salt and leave to gain flavour for a couple of minutes. At this point add the lentils and approx 2 cups of warm vegetable broth.
Cover with a lid and let them cook on low heat for 25-30 minutes, adding other warm broth if the sauce becomes too dry. However, be careful not to make the sauce too soupy, especially if you prefer a very thick meal; better add the broth little by little any time you need.
Lentils should be fully cooked after 25-30 minutes, but better taste them because cooking time may vary depending on the quality of them.
Add the pasta, a pinch of salt, a bit of pepper and a cup of broth. Cook the italian pasta and lentils on low heat for 7-8 minutes, also according to the pasta cooking time, stirring frequently as if it were a risotto.
Add a little broth as the soup gets thicken, adjusting according to your tastes (how thick you prefer the soup).
When the pasta is cooked turn off the heat and add the grated parmesan cheese and the thyme.
Stir it well and set aside for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Anti-waste ideas
Italian pasta and lentils is an excellent way to reuse the cooked lentils, left over from a previous meal; the doses I suggest are about 2 cups (400 grams) of boiled lentils: cook the tomato sauce for about 10 minutes and only then add the lentils. Leave to gain flavor for 5 minutes and then add the pasta.
Tips and variations
You can also use hulled lentils to prepare pasta and lentils: 10 minutes of cooking will be enough before adding the pasta.
Are you looking for an even more tasty (but no more vegetarian) Italian pasta and lentils? Just add 3.5 oz (100 grams) of diced bacon or a crumbled sausage to the mirepoix! If you like spicy you can add a dried chopped chili pepper.
For a meal also suitable for vegans will be sufficient to remove the parmesan cheese.
Translation by Giacomo Meucci
Varied doses for servings