Looking for a quick and easy vegetarian dinner tonight? Look no further than this super simple and tasty lentil pesto pasta! Boil a pot of water for your pasta and your beans and then just mix everything up in a large bowl and you can have dinner done in less than 20 minutes flat! Perfect for busy after work evenings, and even better as left overs for work lunch the next day!
What’s in this Lentil Pesto Pasta?
- Lentils (of course!)- Using canned lentils makes this just too simple. I like to wash and drain mine in a fine mesh strainer before mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients.
- Pasta– Use a short pasta like penne or fusilli for best results. Feel free to make this dish even healthier by using a whole-grain or bean based pasta (I almost always do!).
- Green Beans– Blanching these in the same water as your pasta makes it easy to add some fresh vegetables to your meal. Simply trim the ends off and slice (or snap) in half before adding them to boiling water. Allow to boil for about 2-5 minutes until the beans are cooked through but still crisp.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes– These add heaps of flavour with very little effort! I buy the pre-cut strips in jars for even more convenience, but if you have whole sun-dried tomatoes, simply slice into thin strips first before adding to the pasta.
- Basil Pesto– Simply grab your favourite ready made brand and mix it in!
- Parmesan/ Parmesan-style cheese– Makes everything delicious! Use grated or shaved. Keep in mind that traditional parmesan contains animal rennet, so if this is something you do not eat, substitute with a parmesan-style cheese instead!
How to Make Lentil Pesto Pasta
This dish takes only 3 super simple steps to make!
- Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook your pasta according to the instructions on the pack. This will depend on the type of pasta you use- I will often use a bean based pasta which can take longer to cook than regular wheat pasta so check your cooking instructions on the pack!
- After your pasta has finished cooking, take it out and use the same pot of water to blanch your green beans. If you have space in your pot, you could also throw the beans straight in with the pasta in the last few minutes of cooking time. Place the drained pasta and beans into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the drained and washed lentils, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan and pesto and mix it all together. Season with salt and pepper and serve!
This pasta is delicious the next day for lunch, served either hot or cold, and keeps in the fridge in a airtight container for up to 3 days.
Lentil Pesto Pasta
Looking for a quick and easy vegetarian dinner tonight? Then this super simple and tasty lentil pesto pasta salad recipe is perfect! Boil a pot of water for your pasta and your beans and then just mix everything up in a large bowl and you can have a healthy dinner done in less than 20 minutes flat!
Servings: 5
Calories: 550kcal
Ingredients
- 375 g short pasta penne or fusilli
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 250 g green beans trimmed and sliced
- 200 g sun-dried tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1 can (400g) brown lentils rinsed and drained
- 25 g / 1/3 cup parmesan / parmesan style cheese (rennet free) grated or shaved
- 3/4 cup / 190g basil pesto
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to the boil and add 1/2 tsp of salt. Add the pasta and cook per the instructions on the pack (see note 1).
- Once pasta is cooked, remove with a strainer ladle and place into a large mixing bowl. Bring the pasta water back to a boil (add more water it required) and add the green beans to the boiling water. Allow to blanch for 2-5 minutes until beans are cooked but still crisp.
- Remove the beans and place into the same large mixing bowl as the pasta. Add the lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan and basil pesto and mix well.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve!
Notes
- The exact cooking time will depend on the type of pasta you use (i.e. durum wheat, pulse/bean or whole grain etc). This will typically be between 8-12 minutes, but follow the directions on the packet to be sure!
- Nutritional information is an estimation only.
- Adapted from this recipe from Taste.com.au
If you made this recipe, leave a rating and let me know how you went in the comments below!
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