Pasta with Red Lentils and Spinach

This Pasta with Red Lentils and Spinach recipe is one of our most frequently made weeknight supper meals. This vegetarian pasta dish is fast, tasty and healthy, with vibrant flavor from fresh ginger and garlic. Can easily be made as a vegan dish. 

Recipe originally published in October 2014 as part of a “Weekday Supper” series, updated most recently in November 2023 with new wine pairings and photos. Some of the wines suggested here were provided as complimentary samples by the winery.

Recipe inspiration

Fast, inexpensive and tasty: all that you want in a weekday supper! No wonder why we make this Pasta with Red Lentils and Spinach so often.

I tend to have most of the ingredients on hand, making it easy to whip up. A great follow-up to the theme of the Veggie Mac and Cheese Casserole we made for a “Budget Friendly #SundaySupper” theme.

This dish is based on a recipe from the Vegetarian Planet, one of my favorite cookbooks (Amazon affiliate link provided). In the cookbook, the recipe is known as Penne with Red Lentils and Ginger, but as you can see from the photos, we vary the pasta used for this recipe.

I’ve lightened our version of pasta with red lentils by using less butter then the original recipe, offset by an increase in garlic. So it’s got healthy going for it too.

We enjoy this year-round, but there’s something about sage that says chilly to me, making this particularly well-suited to fall and winter. Give it a try next time you are looking for something fast and tasty! 

Making pasta with red lentils

Here is an overview of how to make this recipe; click here to jump down to the recipe card for the full details.

Begin boiling water for pasta. Melt butter in a medium pan or skillet, let it start to brown slightly. Next sauté garlic and ginger for a couple minutes over medium low heat.

Add the lentils, sage, a bit of salt, cup of water, and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover pan.

Start cooking the pasta about 5 minute after you start cooking the lentils. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

Check and stir the lentil mixture every few minutes. If the lentil cooking liquid begins to evaporate, add another quarter cup or so of water.

The lentils take about 10 to 15 minutes to soften. The lentils should be soft but retain their shape as opposed to turning to lentil mush which can happen if you cook too long or too much water. 

I have found the lentils cook faster if you are using a skillet– closer to 10 minutes to soften.

Add the spinach after the lentils have been cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring it in so that it wilts slightly. Once the spinach has wilted, remove the lentil mixture from heat. Cover to keep warm while the pasta finishes cooking.

When the pasta is done to your liking, drain and combine the cooked pasta with the lentil mixture and an extra tablespoon of olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Vegan option for this recipe

Butter is the only ingredient in this recipe that would be an issue for vegans. Simply substitute dairy free spread such as Earth Balance or olive oil make this dish vegetarian.

We made a vegan version using Earth Balance during our recent remake and it was delicious!

Wine pairing options

We make this pasta with red lentils and spinach a lot, so we’ve had a chance to test quite a few wine pairing options.

Halter Ranch Vermentino

For our most recent pairing, we opened the 2022 Halter Ranch Vermentino ($45, 13.2% ABV), from the Adelaida District in Paso Robles. This was provided as a sample for a recent Wine Pairing Weekend event.

I get bright lemon fruit on the nose with some scent of the sea. Melon and some lemon on the palate. Some notes of butter, the taste and body are similar to a light Chardonnay.

An excellent pairing! We also had a bit of baked haddock on the plate that further enhanced the pairing.

Lakewood Vineyard Riesling

We opened the 2018 Lakewood Vineyards Dry Riesling (10.8% ABV) as part of an event exploring Finger Lakes wines. This Riesling has honeysuckle on the nose and green apple on the palate, with mineral undertones. An excellent representation of the dry Riesling style from the Finger Lakes, and it was a very good pairing for our pasta!

Other white wine options

Red wine pairing

If you’re more in the mood for red wine, the friends.red ($13, 14.2% ABV) from Pedroncelli Cellars in Sonoma, actually turned out to be a good match. This wine is a blend of Merlot, Zin, and Syrah.

The friends.red is fruit forward with just enough complexity to go with the garlic and ginger. Based on this pairing, I am inclined to thin other Merlots or Zins could work too.

Recipe card

Recipe card

Pasta with Red Lentils and Spinach

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Pasta with Red Lentils and Spinach is an easy and tasty vegetarian pasta dish, with lively flavor from fresh garlic and ginger. Adapted from a recipe in the cookbook Vegetarian Planet.

• Author: Cooking Chat,
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Entree
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb. dried penne, farfalle or other short pasta
• 3 tbsp butter (I often use Earth Balance spread, which makes this dish vegan)
• 1–2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 inch piece of ginger, minced (or ¾ tsp powdered ginger)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp minced sage, or ½ tsp dried sage
• ¾ cup red lentils
• 1 cup water (plus extra during cooking as needed)
• 3–4 cups tightly packed baby spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Start water for pasta: Begin boiling water for pasta.
2. Melt butter in a medium pan or skillet, let it start to brown slightly, then sauté garlic and ginger for a couple minutes over medium low heat.
3. Add the lentils, sage, a bit of salt, cup of water, and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover pan.
4. Watch the lentils: Check and stir the lentil mixture every few minutes. If the lentil cooking liquid begins to evaporate, add another quarter cup or so of water. The lentils take 10 to 15 minutes to soften…they should be soft but retain their shape as opposed to turning to lentil mush which can happen if you cook too long or too much water.
5. Start cooking the pasta about 5 minute after you start cooking the lentils. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
6. Add the spinach after the lentils have been cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring it in so that it wilts slightly.
7. Finish the dish: When the pasta is done to your liking, drain and combine the cooked pasta with the lentil mixture and an extra tablespoon of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• The lentils take about 10 to 15 minutes to soften. The lentils should be soft but retain their shape as opposed to turning to lentil mush which can happen if you cook too long or too much water.
• I have found the lentils cook faster if you are using a skillet– closer to 10 minutes to soften.
• Butter is the only ingredient in this recipe that would be an issue for vegans. Simply substitute dairy free spread such as Earth Balance or olive oil make this dish vegetarian.

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