This healthy Red Lentil Pasta Recipe is an easy 30-minute vegan protein meal, perfect for a comforting family dinner or a pre-workout meal. Bonus, red lentils are low-carb plant-based proteins, and this red split lentil recipe makes a delicious vegan, low-carb dinner over low-carb pasta. Keep reading to learn more.
Red lentil pasta is a healthy plant-based meal packed with vegan protein and nutrients, similar to my Lemon Broccoli Green Pasta Sauce or Hidden Veg Pasta Sauce. It’s one of my go-to dishes when I’m on my meal-prep for a week of high-protein dinners. Red lentils are excellent vegan protein, with about 25% protein and full of nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and potassium.
They are also very low carb. 100g contains only 20g of carbs, including 8g of fiber, which means it has only 12g of net carbs per 100g! As a comparison, chickpea, a good plant-based protein source, contains 44g net carbs/100 g. So if you are looking for a vegan, low-carb dinner, red lentils are a great choice.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For this homemade vegan pasta sauce, you will need:
- Red Split Lentils – While you can use other lentils, red ones are the best, both from a nutritional and color perspective for the dish! I tried with green lentils and it makes the pasta less appetizing for the kids.
- Tomato Passata – or tomato sauce with no added sugar.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes – You can also use fresh tomatoes slow-boiled and rinsed.
- Vegetable Broth – Any veggie broth would do. You can also use a seasoning cube in warm water.
- Paprika – Paprika gives more flavor to the dish. You can also use your favorite spice mix.
- Dried Oregano – or Italian herbs.
- Dried Basil – or fresh basil if you have any.
- Nutritional Yeast – Nutritional yeast generally loaded with Vitamin B12.
How To Make Red Lentil Pasta
Red lentils are split lentils, and therefore they cook quickly, way faster than green or brown lentils. They are great for making Indian red lentil dahl curries and creating a thick and creamy red lentil pasta sauce without using any cream or dairy.
- Before making the red lentil pasta sauce, cook your favorite pasta by following the packaging instructions.
- For tips on how to choose healthy pasta for this recipe, check the next paragraph.
- To make the sauce, start by cooking diced onion and garlic in warm olive oil.
- Then, add all the sauce ingredients, bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Finally, add the cooked pasta and keep cooking for 5 minutes until warm. The sauce will thicken and get creamy.
Storage Instructions
This is a great vegan meal to meal prep your week with a healthy vegan dinner. You can store your cooked pasta in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Otherwise, you can freeze them for later. I recommend freezing this healthy red lentil recipe in individual containers so you can thaw one serving at a time. Always thaw the day before in the fridge. Rewarm in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat.
Serving Suggestions
Like for any pasta, you can add cheese on top of your pasta. There are plenty of vegan-friendly cheese options available at the grocery store, like vegan parmesan or vegan mozzarella.
If you don’t fancy the vegan cheese, then add one or a few of the following vegan pasta topping ideas:
- Coconut milk – or coconut cream, add a drizzle on top of your plate for extra creaminess.
- Fresh herbs – chopped basil or parsley or sage.
- Olive oil – a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil enhances the sauce’s flavor in this easy red lentil recipe.
- Chili flakes – for spicy pasta.
Pasta Choice
You can use any cooked pasta or fresh pasta you like in this recipe.
The shape doesn’t matter. However, since it is a vegan red lentil pasta recipe, you want to make sure your pasta is egg-free! Check the ingredients list of your pasta to avoid eggs.
The best gluten-free healthy pasta options are
- Brown rice pasta or rice pasta
- Buckwheat pasta
- Quinoa pasta
- Chickpea pasta
- Edamame pasta
- Red lentil pasta – yes, you can use red lentil pasta in this red lentil pasta sauce! They are made of lentil flour and tend to cook faster, but they will taste great with this red lentil pasta sauce.
Other healthy pasta that is not gluten-free are:
- Semolina flour pasta
- Wholewheat or wheat pasta
- Spelt pasta
- Homemade pasta if you have a pasta machine! I don’t!
Frequently Asked Questions
This is the best red lentil recipe for creamy pasta lovers! Red lentils are the best to turn a sauce into the creamiest sauce without adding any dairy.
You don’t even need to soak the lentils or use any fancy kitchen tool to make this sauce.
The red lentil act like all-purpose flour in a white sauce recipe. They thicken the sauce and create the most delicious creamy tomato pasta sauce.
More Vegan Protein Meal Recipes
If you love healthy vegan pasta recipes, you may also want to try my other recipe below:
Did You Like This Recipe?
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Red Lentil Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Onion - peeled, diced – about 1 cup
- 3 Garlic Cloves - minced
- 1 cup Tomato Passata
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes - with their juice (14 oz)
- 1 cup Red Lentils
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth
- 9 oz Pulse Pasta - uncooked, equivalent 18 oz cooked pasta (note 1)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta by following instructions on the packaging. Rinse, drain, and set aside while making the sauce. Read my post above for tips on how to choose healthy pasta for this recipe.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant and golden in color.
- Add the tomato passata, canned chopped tomatoes, red lentils, dried basil, dried oregano, nutritional yeast, salt, and vegetable broth.
- Stir all ingredients together, cover, bring to a light boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Uncover, stir in the cooked pasta and keep cooking under medium heat until the pasta are hot and flavor combined.
- Serve immediately with chopped fresh basil leaves and vegan Parmesan if desired. The recipe serves 6 people.
Storage
- Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days or freeze.
Can you make this sauce in a crockpot? If so, what adaptations do I make, and how long should I cook it? Thanks so much!!
Probably yes! I dont have a crockpot so I can’t recommend on setting I am sorry
Do you mean 14 Oz diced tomatoes? Thanks!
Yes 1 can of 14 oz of diced tomatoes! enjoy the recipe
I cooked the sauce for 45 minutes and the lentils were still too hard. I think they need to be soaked beforehand.
If you used whole red lentils, instead of split it can take longer to cook but usually red lentils cook faster than other lentils – 30 minutes is enough. If not, simply add more water in the sauce to help the lentils absorb finish cooking
I just tried this recipe, and it is amazing! So flavorful and delicious! Thank you so much!