Lentil and Fennel Pasta in Crushed Tomato Sauce 

Pasta is one of my favorites for a quick and easy weeknight dinner and this lentil and fennel pasta is one I love to return to making again and again. The sauce is made with pantry ingredients that simmers on the stove for just 15 minutes while the noodles cook. 

In the mood for more quick weeknight meals? Check out my 20 Minute Tofu Tacos or 20 Minute Chickpea Curry!

Ingredients 

• Pasta: I love to use a thicker noodle like linguini for this dish. 
• Whole Peeled Tomatoes: I suggest these over other tomatoes as not only are they canned when the tomatoes are fresh, but often times the tomato is the only ingredient! That way you have pure, tomato goodness and no additives or other ingredients to mess with the flavors. 
• Fennel: Fennel is one of my favorite bulb veggies to use thanks to its crisp, bright, and zippy flavor! 
• Lentils: To help save on time, I like to use canned lentils. My favorite ones come from Trader Joe’s where I always pick up a few boxes of their cooked and sealed lentils from the produce section. See the note below on how to prep your own lentils if you only have dried! 
• Nutritional Yeast: A touch of nutritional yeast adds that savory depth of flavor to these vegan pasta dishes that you would get by adding things like parmesan cheese. 
• Spinach: Use fresh spinach here or see below for other greens to use. 
• Spices + Herbs: A traditional round up of Italian spices like basil, parsley, and oregano are used, as well as some onion powder.

Instructions 

This is one of my favorite weeknight pasta dishes and is really easy so that even beginning vegan chefs can make this! 

Prep Step: Make the Lentils 

If you don’t have lentils prepared, don’t worry! You can still make this dish pretty quickly on a weeknight. 

First up, sort and sift through your dried brown lentils and remove any debris. Rinse them well and add a cup of lentils to a large pot with 4 cups of water. 

Bring the lentils to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Then, drain the lentils and use as directed! 

Step One: Boil the noodles

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook your noodles according to package directions. You want the noodles to be al dente when done. 

Step Two: Make the sauce

Start by sauteing the fennel in a touch of olive oil (which is totally optional if you are oil-free). Cook for about 3 minutes before adding the garlic and cooking that for a minute more. 

Now add the tomatoes with the juice, the lentils, nutritional yeast, water, and all the herbs and spices. Don’t add the spinach at this point. 

Cook the sauce down at a simmer for 15 minutes while the pasta cooks. 

Squish the whole tomatoes with the back of the spoon to help the sauce thicken. 

In the final few minutes of the pasta cooking, add the spinach and let it wilt, about 2 minutes. 

Step Three: Combine and Serve

Drain the noodles but don’t rinse them. Add them to the sauce and give it a good stir. Serve and enjoy! 

How to Serve

• With seasonal vegetables. Add in some extra veggies like thin slices of bell peppers, some sweet peas, or even some button mushrooms. 
• Add a side salad. Pasta and salad are just meant to be together. Try this with my Fuji Apple Salad or my Greek Salad with Lemon dressing! 
• Top it off with some tofu. To really boost the heartyness of this meal, add some oven roasted savory tofu. 

How to Store 

Fridge: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Reheat: When reheating your pasta, it’s helpful to add a few splashes of water to a large skillet and warm up the pasta over medium heat, adding more water as necessary. 

Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing this pasta dish as the freezing can ruin the texture of the pasta. 

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