Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils & Marinara

Name: Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils & Marinara
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: ½ cup dry lentils (French green lentils or regular brown lentils), or 1 ½ cups cooked lentils (leftover or from a can, rinsed and drained); 1 bay leaf; 1 large garlic clove, peeled but left whole; ¼ teaspoon salt; 2 cups vegetable broth or water; 2 cups marinara sauce; 8 oz whole-grain pasta (or 12 ounces, if you like your pasta less saucy than mine); Optional garnishes: grated Parmesan or vegan Parmesan and/or chopped fresh basil

This wholesome dinner features hearty lentils, marinara sauce and spaghetti. This vegetarian dinner is easy to make, affordable and delicious! Recipe yields 4 servings.

⏱ 35 min 🔨 Prep 10min 🔥 Cook 25min 📊 Medium 🍽 4 servings 👁 3

Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils & Marinara

Ingredients

4 servings

½ cup dry lentils (French green lentils or regular brown lentils), or 1 ½ cups cooked lentils (leftover or from a can, rinsed and drained)
1 bay leaf
1 large garlic clove, peeled but left whole
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth or water
2 cups marinara sauce
8 oz whole-grain pasta (or 12 ounces, if you like your pasta less saucy than mine)
Optional garnishes: grated Parmesan or vegan Parmesan and/or chopped fresh basil

Instructions

To cook the lentils, first pick through the lentils for debris (I once bit into a tiny rock) and then rinse them in a fine-mesh colander. In a small saucepan, combine the lentils, bay leaf, garlic, salt and broth.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer until the lentils are cooked through and tender, which will take somewhere between 20 to 35 minutes, depending on the age and variety of the lentils. Drain the lentils, discard the bay leaf and garlic, and set the pot aside, uncovered.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, then return the pasta to the pot and set it aside.
Stir the marinara into the lentils and warm them together over medium heat. Divide pasta into bowls, top with warm marinara and lentils, and garnish with Parmesan and/or chopped fresh basil, if you’d like. Serve warm. Leftovers will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.

Rice & Noodles vegetarian marinara with lentils and spaghettientreeitalian

Nutrition per serving

355kcal

💰 Cost Estimate

Total Ingredients
$2557.00

Per Serving
$639.00/serving

🏠 Savings
~$5114.00 vs buying!

📋 Price Breakdown (63% ingredients detected)

Ingredient	Amount	Subtotal
½ cup dry lentils	-	-
bay leaf	1	$1779.00
garlic clove	1 large	$198.00
¼ teaspoon salt	-	-
vegetable broth or water	2 cups	$63.00
marinara sauce	2 cups	$202.00
whole-grain pasta	8 oz	$315.00
Optional garnishes	-	-