Creamy Pasta and Lentils

Creamy Pasta and Lentils is a traditionally Italian dish, hearty and comforting. Here’s a creamy version of this recipe that you can try at home.

Ingredients

• 200 g of short pasta (like ditalini or tubetti)
• 150 g of dry lentils (or 300 g of precooked lentils)
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 400 ml of tomato puree
• 500 ml of vegetable broth or water
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated parmesan (optional)
• Chili pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. If you are using dry lentils, soak them for a few hours and then drain them.
2. In a large pot, sauté the finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery in a bit of extra virgin olive oil until they become soft. Add the crushed garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary sprig.
3. Add the lentils to the pot and let them flavor for a couple of minutes.
4. Pour in the tomato puree and vegetable broth or water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer covered for about 30 minutes (if you are using precooked lentils, the cooking time will be shorter).
5. When the lentils are almost ready, add the pasta and continue cooking according to the time indicated on the package, adding broth or water if necessary.
6. Once both the pasta and lentils are cooked, adjust with salt and pepper, and if you want a creamier consistency, you can blend a small part of the lentils with a hand blender.
7. If you wish, add a sprinkle of grated parmesan and a bit of chili pepper for more flavor and spiciness.
8. Serve hot with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil.

A curiosity: Pasta and Lentils is a dish that belongs to the Italian peasant tradition, originally prepared to take advantage of local ingredients easily available at home. It is considered a poor dish of Italian cuisine but rich in taste and history.