READY IN 55 mins

Vegan Lentil, Kale, and Red Onion Pasta

Read Reviews (23)

"A simple, delicious, and versatile dish that is naturally vegan, but can be easily altered to accommodate both vegan and omnivorous eaters--excellent for family dinners and gathering where there will be people with a variety of food preferences." — girlandagun

Directions

Bring the vegetable broth, lentils, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and bay leaf to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add additional broth if needed to keep the lentils moist. Discard the bay leaf once done.
As the lentils simmer, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, thyme, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute, then add the sausage. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the onion has softened, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the kale and rotini pasta. Cook until the rotini is al dente, about 8 minutes. Remove some of the cooking water, and set aside. Drain the pasta, then return to the pot, and stir in the lentils, and onion mixture. Use the reserved cooking liquid to adjust the moistness of the dish to your liking. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast to serve.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 25 mins
READY IN 55 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

May 15, 2008

I actually made this for a picnic, planning to serve it cold. It had a beautiful taste, and I reallly enjoyed it. There were a few things I changed the next time I made it: 1. I steam the kale separately, to keep the vitamin content. 2. I swapped the vegan sausage for chunks of kielbasa instead (I am not a vegetarian). 3. I used ditalini pasta. The four stars is because I didn't like the kale boiled, and is for the original recipe, and not when I changed it. This makes a great main course (hot or cold) or a great side dish). Even without the sausage it has a beautiful flavour. Excellent dish!

—wsf

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Nov 13, 2011

I was going to try this recipe and then saw that there were 732 calories per serving. That's a lot and looking at the ingredients, I don't see how that can be. Even with olive oil and vegan sausage, it shouldn't be that much.

—Rose

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30 Ratings

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May 21, 2008

i really enjoyed this meal. i steamed the kale as suggested by one review and used that liquid to add to finished product. next time i make this i will cook in cherry tomatoes and mushrooms with the onions bc it was a little dry. i will also dilute the veggie broth i use to cook the lentils. i used some kind of tofu italian sausage and that worked great. i didn't have fresh herbs but the dried ones sufficed. i think this would also be good with goat cheese/feta.

—nineroots

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Apr 21, 2012

My husband loved the flavors. Like another reviewer, the red lentils came out mushy but aside from texture, the taste was still good. I would say the prep time is not 30 min. I had the entire dish done in about 30 min--I almost didn't make the recipe b/c of the approx time so even if you are short on time, you can still make this dish.

—Jackie

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Aug 31, 2010

Very delicious recipe, easy to make. I did not do the sausage and actually instead of the vegetable broth I just used water. I added my own spices, such as seasoned salt and garlic salt and onion powder along with everything else....very good.

—mmholly0812

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Dec 14, 2010

This was AWESOME! Followed the advice of other reviwers and steamed the kale. Even my meat loving husband loved it!

—Bethany

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Jun 25, 2010

This was an excellent, crowd-pleasing dish! I was having a bunch of guests over and it was perfect - full of flavor (but not spicy) and sutiable for pretty much every dietary preference. I generally followed the recipe, with a few exceptions. I doubled it so it made 8 portions rather than 4, but it could have served 10 with no problem. Luckily, it keeps well and even tastes good cold, so the leftovers have been great. I didn't add vegan sausage and put in 2 roma tomatoes and 12 oz of mushrooms, as one user suggested. It worked well, definitely putting in 2 or 3 more tomatoes next time (if I'm doubling it again). And make sure to cook the pasta al dente. Maybe it was just because I had to wait before serving, but the pasta became a little mushy after everything was mixed together and sitting on the stove on low heat for a while. My guests all loved it and I'm definitely making it again!

—tmansfield

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Jan 14, 2011

Yum! I tried this recipe with a few modifications and it was delicious and hearty. To boil the lentils, I used 2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup white wine, 2 cloves of garlice, and about 3/4 cups water. This kept it moist when I mixed everything together. I also added broccoli and mushrooms, and steamed the kale based on other reviews. I added some adobo and a little curry powder. Instead of vegan sausage I used Bob Evan's sage sausage (sorry, not vegan but good!) These tweaks just suited my taste buds better. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!

—Katrina

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Nutrition

Calories
732 kcal
37%

Carbohydrates
111.8 g
36%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
16.5 g
25%

Fiber
19.3 g
77%

Protein
36.1 g
72%

Sodium
1219 mg
49%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Vegan Lentil, Kale, and Red Onion Pasta

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 732
Calories from Fat: 148

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 16.5g 25 %
** Saturated Fat 2.3g 11 %
** Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 1219mg 49 %
** Potassium 1172mg 33 %
Total Carbohydrates 111.8g 36 %
** Dietary Fiber 19.3g 77 %
Protein 36.1g 72 %
** Sugars 7.4g
Vitamin A 358 %
Vitamin C 235 %
** Calcium 32 %
** Iron 99 %
** Thiamin 29 %
** Niacin 208 %
** Vitamin B6 192 %
** Magnesium 47 %
** Folate 262 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.