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Home » Recipes » Lentil Pasta Sauce

Lentil Pasta Sauce

October 10, 2018 by Ciara Attwell, Updated December 12, 2022

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A delicious tomato and lentil pasta sauce made with red lentils and packed with protein and fibre. A great way to get some extra nutrition into a simple kids pasta dish!

Pasta mixed with red lentil sauce

If there’s one meal I know my kids will consistently eat, it’s pasta! And the more simple the better! They love nothing more than a big bowl of pasta with tomato sauce, topped with some grated cheese and so I’m always looking for ways to sneak in some nutrition to their favourite dish.

For years now I’ve been making my Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce and earlier this year I started making another version, this time with hidden lentils.

Lentils are an incredibly nutritious food to feed to kids. They are packed with fibre and help to stabilise blood sugar levels after a meal. They are also a great source of plant-based protein and B Vitamins too.

Ingredients for red lentil sauce

So onto the recipe… I keep my Lentil Pasta Sauce recipe really simple, using just 4 ingredients:

  • Red Lentils
  • Passata
  • Vegetable Stock
  • Dried Oregano

STEP 1:

All these ingredients go into a large saucepan. The mixture is brought to the boil and then simmered for 15 minutes until the lentils are soft and cooked through.

Red lentil sauce in a saucepan

STEP 2:

You can then use either a stick blender or a stand blender to blitz the sauce, making it completely smooth.

Blended red lentil sauce in a saucepan

STEP 3:

Then simply mix the sauce in with some cooked pasta, topped with a little grated cheese if you like and serve!

Pasta with red lentil sauce and topped with grated cheese

Freezing Instructions

My recipe makes a big batch of the sauce so whatever is left over can be stored in a covered jar or container in the fridge for up to 3 days or transferred into freezer bags or containers and frozen for up to 3 months.

To defrost leave in the fridge overnight or put the frozen sauce into a saucepan and gently heat until completely defrosted and warmed through.

Additions & Substitutions

1. Feel free to experiment with lots of other herbs and spices. Sometimes I had a dash of smoked paprika. If your kids like spice a little bit of chilli tastes great too, aswell as herbs like rosemary, thyme, etc.

2. If you want to add some vegetables to this sauce then veggies like carrots, courgette, peppers will work really well. Add a little more stock to the recipe and cook and blend as normal.

3. To make a creamier version of this recipe then add some cream cheese and grated parmesan cheese when blender. So delicious!

Jar of red lentil pasta sauce

If you try my Lentil Pasta Sauce recipe please do leave me a comment and a star rating below. You can also share your pictures with me on Instagram.  I always love to see your creations!

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Lentil Pasta Sauce


★★★★★ 5 from 12 reviews
  • Author: Ciara Attwell
  • Prep Time: 2 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 17 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

A delicious tomato pasta sauce made with red lentils and packed with protein and fibre. A great way to get some extra nutrition into a simple kids pasta dish!


Ingredients

  • 1 kg / 35oz passata
  • 150g / 5oz dried red lentils
  • 600ml / 2.5 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Add the passata, lentils, vegetable stock and oregano to a large saucepan.
  2. Bring to the boil, cover loosely with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils are soft.
  3. Use either a stick blender or stand blender to blitz the sauce until smooth.
  4. If the sauce seems a little too thick add some water until it reaches the right consistency.
  5. Season to taste with salt and pepper (skip this if serving to babies).
  6. Mix the sauce with cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Notes

  • My recipe makes a big batch of the sauce so whatever is left over can be stored in a covered jar or container in the fridge for up to 3 days or transferred into freezer bags or containers and frozen for up to 3 months.
  • To defrost leave in the fridge overnight or put the frozen sauce into a saucepan and gently heat until completely defrosted and warmed through.
1 Serving915.4 g207.9 mg0.4 g0.1 g18.6 g3.5 g5.3 g

If you liked this recipe you may also enjoy:

Tomato & Mascarpone Pasta Sauce

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Filed Under: 30 Minute Meals, Dairy Free Recipes, Egg Free, Family Meals, Kid Friendly Sauces & Dips, Nut Free Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: lentils, pasta

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    August 5, 2022 at 3:43 am

    Excellent recipe. May I know the type of pasta that you used (the one in the picture)? Thank you

    Reply
    • Bianca Carey Spencer says

      August 5, 2022 at 10:17 am

      Hi! I think it was radiatore pasta we used for that one, but any pasta shape would be fine!

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        August 6, 2022 at 4:21 am

        Thank you for the reply. At times I feel the shape and the color of the pasta matters for my kids 🙂

        Reply
  2. Abi says

    January 14, 2022 at 10:40 pm

    Looking forward to trying this recipe – it looks fabulous!

    To make the creamy version, how much cream/cheese would you recommend to add?

    Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Bianca Carey Spencer says

      January 17, 2022 at 1:58 pm

      Hi Abi! I’d probably start with a couple of tablespoons and see. You can always add more if required. Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
      • Abi says

        January 22, 2022 at 5:55 pm

        Thank you for your reply – I’ve made this for dinner this evening, following your recommendation for adding the cream and it has turned out fabulously!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
  3. Marie says

    August 4, 2021 at 12:42 am

    Amazing!!!! My toddler and husband loved it too!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Michael G says

    April 7, 2021 at 4:40 am

    easy, simple, protein-packed… delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. caleigh says

    February 23, 2021 at 10:25 pm

    I’m not a fan of tomatoes, so finding nutritious and yummy pasta sauces isn’t always easy. Love love love this recipe!! I added a sprinkle of nutritional yeast instead of cheese and it was still delish!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Caroline says

    February 15, 2021 at 8:17 pm

    I made this sauce today with added carrots, courgette and some cream cheese. My little girl loved it. A great use of lentils and lots in the freezer. Thank you 😊.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Rachel says

    December 8, 2020 at 5:57 pm

    That is for the inspo…. hopefully found a way to feed my kids lentils! Miracle they est chickpeas now! I added garlic and used dried parsley and basil and canned ready lentils and mixed a bin of tinned chopped tomatoes and pasta. But tastes great! Thanks heaps

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    July 14, 2020 at 6:24 am

    My little fussy eater demolished this dish! Thank you! So simple and didnt take ages to prep.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Charlotte says

    June 11, 2020 at 5:10 pm

    Delicious and so easy. Will definitely repeat this meal and experiment with additional veggies.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Nadee says

    December 22, 2019 at 2:08 pm

    I’ve tried this many times. It’s one of our favourites. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Cam says

    May 16, 2019 at 6:02 am

    Love this! My family and I loved it!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Lara says

    February 20, 2019 at 2:30 pm

    Brilliant way to get lentils into my little one without any arguments. Always have a batch of this in the freezer now.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Tyla says

      April 26, 2021 at 4:02 am

      If you add cream cheese does it freeze and defrost the same? Really looking forward to trying this recipe and the other lentil based recipes, never cooked with them before.

      Reply
  13. Nadee says

    January 3, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    I have made this many times now. It’s delicious and healthy. Win win. Thank you for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      January 4, 2019 at 4:22 pm

      Thanks so much Nadee!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Ciara! I'm a food writer and cookbook author and I'm always looking for new ways to make food fun and interesting for kids! I specialise in fussy eating and share tips and tricks to get your kids eating better along with lots of family friendly recipes. Read More…

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