This easy pasta with lentils (pasta e lenticchie) is a simple one-pot recipe that's bursting with flavour. Make it vegetarian or vegan for a delicious and healthy recipe that's also budget-friendly.
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Italian pasta with lentils (or pasta e lenticchie in Italian) is the perfect choice for a simple weeknight meal when you want the goodness of pulses and pasta all in one pot.
The recipe combines humble and affordable ingredients into a super flavourful dish. You can make it as thick as you like, and add some extra veggies in it, too.
Ingredients for pasta con lenticchie
I like to add lots of herbs to this lentil pasta recipe, including fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and fresh parsley. The herbs make this lentil soup with pasta extra flavourful, but you can substitute them with dried herbs if you don't have fresh ones handy.
You can use green or brown lentils for this pasta with lentils. Red lentils are not a good choice because their texture is not right for this recipe.
I make this lentil soup with ditalini pasta, but you can use any other kind of small pasta. If you don't have any small pasta handy, you can break up some penne or even spaghetti for this recipe.
Make it vegan or vegetarian
What I love most about this recipe is that it only takes one change to the ingredient list to make it vegan. Pasta con lenticchie is basically a vegan recipe that you can choose to add Parmesan to if you want.
Make sure the Parmesan you opt for is vegetarian; you might need to opt for another type of hard Italian cheese instead. Parmigiano Reggiano is not vegetarian because it's made with animal rennet. If you're not a vegetarian, regular Parmesan will work just fine.
How do you make pasta with lentils?
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they soften a bit. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
Next, stir in the passata, then add the red chilli flakes, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the lentils and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer with a lid on for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Add the pasta and cook for another 10-12 minutes until it's al dente. Stir occasionally to avoid the pasta sticking to the bottom of the pot. You may have to add some extra stock or water at this point, as the pasta will absorb a lot of the liquid.
Add the grated Parmesan (if using) and the parsley, and season to taste. Serve on its own or with some crusty bread.
Recipe notes & tips
- Make this recipe vegan by skipping the Parmesan or using some nutritional yeast / vegan Parmesan instead.
- If you're not a vegetarian/vegan, you can add 100 g pancetta with the onion.
- The pasta will absorb a lot of liquid, so you'll have to add some extra stock or hot water. I prefer to use water instead of stock at this point because adding more stock comes with the risk of making the soup too salty.
- I think this lentil soup with pasta is a meal on its own, but you can serve it with some crusty bread if you want.
- You don't have to soak green or brown lentils before cooking them. They'll be perfectly cooked in under 30 minutes without soaking.
- You can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid, so you may need to add a bit of water before reheating.
If you liked this easy pasta with lentils (pasta e lenticchie), have a look at some of my other veggie soups:
Greek Chickpea Soup with Lemon (Revithia)
Instant Pot Vegan Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
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Easy Pasta with Lentils (Pasta e Lenticchie)
This easy pasta with lentils (pasta e lenticchie) is a simple one-pot recipe that's bursting with flavour. Make it vegetarian or vegan for a delicious and healthy recipe that's also budget-friendly.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2-3 celery stalks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) passata
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- 200 g (7 oz) green or brown lentils
- 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock
- 200 g (7 oz) ditalini pasta
- 30 g (1 ounce) grated Parmesan (optional)
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they soften a bit. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, stir in the passata, then add the red chilli flakes, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the lentils and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer with a lid on for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
- Add the pasta and cook for another 10-12 minutes until it's al dente. Stir occasionally to avoid the pasta sticking to the bottom of the pot. You may have to add some extra stock or water at this point as the pasta will absorb a lot of the liquid.
- Add the grated Parmesan (if using) and the parsley, and season to taste. Serve on its own or with some crusty bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 877mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 7gSugar: 6gProtein: 11g
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Katch says
Can I use canned lentils as that’s all I have at home right now?
Alice says
Sure, they should work great. Just reduce the cooking time as they're already cooked!
Karen says
I am making this recipe tonight. I'm sure it's going to be good. Can't wait to try it. I'm making a tuna melt along side it.
Alice says
I hope you enjoy it, Karen!
Brandy says
What a lovely soup! I look forward to making it again but I'll be making some bread to go with it. I'll definitely be adding this recipe to my fall and winter meals.
Alice says
Thank you so much Brandy, I'm really happy you liked it!
Gayle says
We really liked this dish, it made a lot so there will be leftovers for lunch or maybe even dinner. It called for no salt and I felt really needed salt and I added nearly a tsp. My veg broth was low salt so maybe that made the difference. I salt sparingly so was surprised the recipe didn’t call for it. I liked that it was fairly quick and easy to put together.
Casilda Lepre says
I'm making this now for tonight's dinner.It smells delicious can't wait to eat it with Italian Bread right out of the oven
Kathy Grounds says
What would be a good substitute for the passata?
Thanks
Alice says
You could use tomato puree instead.
Anas says
Thank you so much
Mama Cash says
My toddler & 9 month old absolutely loved this! This is a great protein packed meal to add to our repertoire, thank you!
Lurra says
Pasta is mine always fvrt junk food .
Its really nice to read this post .
But it little different from mine recipe .
Thank you so much for this post .
Biana says
Lentils are delicious, I like that you added them to pasta here. A delicious and simple supper recipe.
Julia says
My grandmother used to make similar soup and it was so good! It's perfect for winter but I can eat it all year round 🙂
fitfoodienutter says
I love the Italian food and this pasta was so up my street! It tasted delicious, so it's firmly staying on the menu from now on!
Claudia Lamascolo says
I love lentils and with that ditalini pasta in it I am sure everyone will love the addition instead of rice! thanks