15-Minute Lentil Tomato Pasta
15-minute lentil tomato pasta. A quick, easy and nutritious weeknight dinner recipe made with 3 ingredients. All you need is pasta, canned lentils and your favorite store-bought pasta sauce. The lentils add fiber and protein, plus make the sauce hearty and filling. Keep it simple or add some vegetables and extra toppings!
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 pack (375g) pasta of choice
- 1 jar (880ml/30oz) store-bought tomato pasta sauce of choice (see notes)
- 1 can (540ml/19oz) lentils, drained and rinsed
- Pepper, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Start by cooking the pasta according to the package's instructions.
- Meanwhile, open the jar of pasta sauce and can of lentils. Drain and rinse the lentils.
- When the pasta is done cooking, drain and return to the pot. Stir in the sauce and lentils. Place the pot over medium heat and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Alternatively, you can heat the pasta sauce and lentils together in another small pot while the pasta is cooking, then add it to the cooked pasta. This will save you 5 minutes, but will take an extra pot.
- Serve with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
I always get the large pasta sauce jars from Costco, which are 880ml. If you use smaller jars (typically around 400ml), use half a box of pasta or use two jars of pasta sauce (or what it takes to get around 880ml). You can easily adjust the sauce and pasta amounts to make it more or less saucy, depending on your preference.
I use a simple tomato basil pasta sauce. Feel free to use your favorite tomato pasta sauce.
This is a basic recipe, but you can easily take it to the next level by adding vegetables. You can keep it simple and stir in some baby spinach and heat it with the pasta until cooked. I also love cooking mushrooms with a bit of oil in a saucepan, then mixing them with the pasta sauce. This would work with other vegetables, such as zucchini, bell peppers and more.
I love topping this pasta with nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan. You can use your favorite cheese or cheese alternative.
For a gluten-free option, use your favorite gluten-free pasta.