This Italian pasta and lentil dish is a winning dish that only takes one pot to make. Made with celery, carrot, onion, dry lentils and pasta, it's a simple dish that simmers on the stove, but one you'll be turning to time and time again.
Ahhh, pasta e lenticchie (pasta and lentils). The name of the dish describes it perfectly. It's literally pasta and lentils cooked together (ok, plus carrot, celery, onion and tomato paste).
This is a dish that nonna would make often - she had it on rotation along with pasta e ceci, pasta e fagioli and pasta e piselli. It's essentially a very "nonna" dish - pasta plus a legume, it's a simple (but winning) formula.
Dry lentils are the way to go
In these dishes, nonna would almost always use canned beans, however pasta e lenticchie is the exception.
Nonna would use dry lentils in this dish because she said it made the dish better. And of course, nonna is always right.
Using dry lentils gives the dish more depth because they cook completely in the pan (no pre-boiling required), and they release all their starches and flavor.
I feel this is one of the few pasta and legume dishes that you can use dry legumes with. This is because dry lentils cook so quickly. It would be harder to do this with a different dry bean like chick peas or borlotti, as they take much longer to cook than dry lentils.
Let's get cooking!
Recipe
One Pot Italian Pasta and Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ cup celery small dice
- ½ cup carrots small dice
- ½ cup onion small dice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 150 grams dry lentils rinsed
- 170 grams small pasta like small shells or ditali
- 1.3 litres water approximate
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pan that will fit the lentil and the pasta, over medium heat, add the olive oil.
- Once olive oil is heated through, add the celery, carrots and onions. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the vegetables until tender and just before they start to brown.
- Add in the tomato paste and cook it off for about one minute.
- Add the lentils and about 1L of water. Season with more salt and pepper.
- Cook the lentils until tender, about 30 minutes. Adjust for salt and pepper.
- Add in the pasta and cook until al dente or done to your liking.
- Plate, top with extra virgin olive oil and parsley if desired. Buon Appetito!
Recipe Notes
- Instead of water, you can use vegetable broth
- I used dry green lentils in this recipe but any dried lentil will work
- You can use canned lentils to make the cooking process faster. Follow the same instructions in this recipe, but you will not need to add as much water, since you're not cooking the lentils from dry.
- To store, place in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, place in a pan on the stove over medium heat, and add some water while reheating to add moisture back into the dish
patricia says
delicious and easy to make
Pina Bresciani says
Thanks Patricia, I'm so glad you liked it.
-Pina
Liz Be says
What’s 1L in cups
Pina Bresciani says
Hi! It's about 4 cups.
-Pina
Michael McFarland says
Would adding parmesan or pecorino cheese be a good idea?
Pina Bresciani says
Yes! I definitely think that's a good idea! You could add it once plated, or off heat while it's still in the pan. Add olive oil, grated parmigiano/pecorino and mix!
-Pina
Felicia says
What kind of dry lentils?
Pina Bresciani says
Any kind of dry lentils will work but I used dry green lentils. Hope that helps!
-Pina
Sue says
Would like to make this wonderful dish. Could you please break down the grams for the lentils and pasta?
Pina Bresciani says
Hi Sue! It's 150 grams of lentils (I used dry green lentils), and 170 grams of small pasta.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
-Pina
Barbara says
My partner won't eat any dinner dish that does it include meat. I did not feel like cooking a separate meat dish so I added 1\2 pound of bulk Italian sausage. We loved it.
Pina Bresciani says
Hi Barbara, I love the addition of sausage! So glad it worked out and that you and your partner liked it.
-Pina