Red Lentil Pasta with kale and chickpeas
RECIPE:
Vidalia or sweet onion One Large chopped
Yellow bell pepper One Large chopped
Cherry tomatoes handful
Kale 2-3 cups 1” chopped, “massaged”, stems removed
Garlic 6 cloves chopped or pressed
Cilantro handful washed/dried/chopped
Lemon, one zested lemon
Juice of two lemons. Approximately 2 TBSP
Box of Red Lentil spiral Pasta, 12 oz box from ALDI
Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans 15.5 oz can rinsed and drained
White Balsamic Vinegar 2 TBSP from Amazing Olive, Patchogue, NY
Persian Lime Olive Oil 1 TBSP from Amazing Olive, Patchogue, NY
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| Red Lentil Pasta with Kale, chickpeas, white balsamic vinegar and persian lime infused olive oil from @AmazingOlive |
Sauté onion, peppers, garlic in oil spray or light drizzle of olive oil in large flat pan and lightly caramelize the veggies.
Massage Kale:
In a separate bowl Salt 2-3 pinches sprinkle over kale and juice of one lemon. Knead the salt and lemon juice into the kale until it starts to wilt down then plunge into pasta water for one minute to rinse bitterness. Remove and strain the water from the kale. Add kale, and tomatoes to the sauce pan with the vegg. Add chickpeas. Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water at a time as needed to create the sauce and combine contents.
Prepare Pasta:
Red lentil pasta from @Aldi prepared as directed on the box. I prefer to cook the pasta al dente, one minute less than the shortest time recommended because bean pasta tends to fall apart when over cooked. Also, when I add pasta to sauce on the stove it continues to cook. Add drained pasta to the veggie sauce and combine. Remove 2 cups of pasta water and set aside to add to sauce.
Add additional pasta water as needed to create the sauce. Top the sauce with white balsamic vinegar and persian lime olive oil from @AmazingOlive and zest of lemon and cilantro and combine.
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| My lentil recipe |
Lentils in my recipe I use as I explained before are delicious, natural, economical, easy to prepare and very nutritious. Kale as a cruciferous vegetable is also an excellent source of nutrition and I have a great suggestion on preparation in my prior blog.
Noshing on pasta is always a nice alternative to eating a lentil especially when it’s gluten free and much more nutritious than flour based pasta.
Garbanzo, Chickpeas are loaded with protein and fiber as they are a complex carbohydrate, and contain folate, iron, phosphorous, copper and manganese. All of these being necessary nutritients to consume and chickpeas add depth to a dish because of their fiber content which gives the feeling of fullness.
This recipe and ingredients are heart healthy, flavorful and reminiscent of comfort food.
The Girldoc😉
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