Red Lentil Pasta Recipe Healthy Vegan

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.

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!