Our favorite Red Lentil Pasta Recipe! This red lentil pasta primavera is so delicious, naturally gluten-free, vegan and kid-friendly.
One of our favorite pieces of nutritional advice is to “eat the rainbow” and you can do that with this brightly-colored pasta dish. Packed with five different vegetables and our favorite red lentil pasta, it’s the perfect kid-friendly meal for the whole family. If you’re looking for a healthy red lentil pasta recipe, this is it!
Have you tried lentil pasta before? We love that Tolerant’s Red Lentil Pasta, available in both rotini and penne shapes, is organic and made with only one ingredient- red lentils! It’s perfect for those with grain allergies and also for getting more iron into your kid’s diet.
Iron is one of our favorite things about red lentil pasta! With 30% of the daily recommended value in one 3 ounce serving, lentil pasta makes it easy to get in your daily dose! And we don’t know about you, but our kids can eat a lot of pasta. When pasta is on the menu, Vander eats almost the same serving size as Alex!
In addition to iron, Tolerant’s Red Lentil Penne contains 21g of plant-based protein and 9g of fiber per 3 ounce serving. If you’ve ever struggled with getting your kids to eat enough iron and protein-rich plant foods, then this pasta is for you.
This recipe is also perfect for our plant-based kids who need to follow a gluten-free diet but don’t want to sacrifice flavor or nutrition. As May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, we want to help families who need to remove gluten from the diet.
A gluten-free diet excludes all products containing wheat, barley, rye, and any derivatives of those grains, including brewer’s yeast. For a long time, that meant that kids with Celiac disease couldn’t enjoy pasta. One of many reasons that we’re fans of Tolerant Red Lentil pasta is because it’s produced in a dedicated gluten-free, allergen-free environment, which means there’s no risk of cross-contamination.
With the same tender taste of whole-grain pasta, lentil pasta is so delicious that you’ll almost forget you’re eating lentils! The best part about this pasta primavera is that it’s completely customizable to whatever vegetables your family likes. We love zucchini, peppers, onions, and tomatoes in this one, but we’re also partial to broccoli, peas, and spinach.
The secret to this pasta primavera is letting the vegetables cook down long enough so that they almost melt into the sauce. The cooked tomatoes, squash, and peppers release enough yummy juices to coat the cooked pasta that you don’t need to add anything else!
We recommend serving this with torn basil leaves for an extra dose of antioxidants, but feel free to leave them out depending on your family’s preferences. You can also top with Parmesan cheese, vegan Parmesan, or nutritional yeast.
We hope you enjoy this pasta as much as we do!
Red Lentil Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 1 8 ounce box Tolerant Red Lentil Penne
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into thin strips
- 1 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
- 1 yellow or red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup torn basil leaves
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of water (salted or unsalted) to a boil. Add in the red lentil pasta and cook until just al-dente, about 7 minutes. Drain, lightly rinse with cold water to stop cooking, then set aside.
- 2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until just soft. Add in the tomatoes and garlic cloves and cook another 2-3 minutes.
- 3. Add in the zucchini, squash, bell pepper, oregano, and salt and cook another 10 minutes until vegetables are very soft.
- 4. Add in the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Sprinkle in torn basil leaves and serve.
Question! The ingredient list doesn’t list tomatoes but the instructions call for tomatoes. What kind of tomatoes are used / how many?
Many thanks.
Yes updated! Roma tomatoes.