This Meatless Green Lentil Sauce using Puy lentils is a great alternative to meat-based sauces. Nutritious, gluten-free, and budget-friendly. A delicious and easy lentil pasta sauce with no tomatoes. Perfect for meatless meals any day of the week.
Rich and hearty, this creamy meatless green lentil sauce is packed full of earthy flavours. A great alternative to meat sauce. Great for budget-friendly lentil dinners.
French green lentils, onions, peppers, and goat cheese combine to make a flavourful pasta sauce. For this healthy lentil recipe, I used spaghetti squash for a low-carb total veggie spaghetti dinner. You may also like to try this spicy beluga lentil pasta sauce too.
Lentils are so easy to prepare. Chock full of nutrition, fibre, and a great protein alternative to meat that works for gluten-free and vegan diets too. Healthy lentil recipes are perfect for helping you in the weight loss department.
We enjoy meat dishes, but also know that we should limit our meat intake. Lentils are the perfect meat substitute. They can be used in a variety of recipes. Soups, sauces, even in baking. Readily available and easy on the budget, healthy, nutritious lentils are a win all the way around.
Some of our favourite lentil dishes are:
- Marinated Lentils – great for adding to soups and salads.
- Poached Eggs and Lentils – a hearty protein-packed meal for brunch, lunch, and dinner too.
- Vegetarian Burrito – a great alternative to the classic meat-filled burrito.
- Meatless Tourtiere – the traditional French Canadian classic takes on a healthy twist.
- Mushroom Pate – perfect for a plant-based pate that is great on crackers or spread on sandwiches.
- Mini Cream Cheese Balls – are the hit on the holiday appetizer menu.
- Lentil Loaf – a great meatless meatloaf for dinner any night of the week.
Easy Green Lentil Sauce Ingredients
Old-school French lentils combine basic ingredients that produce wonderful, nutritious meals. This green lentil recipe is no different.
- Puy lentils
- onion
- peppers
- vegetable broth
- goat cheese
- fresh herbs (for garnish)
Meatless Green Lentil Sauce For Pasta
Similar to cooking rice, this easy-to-prepare recipe for Puy lentil pasta sauce is perfect for busy weeknights. Everything is done in one pot (except the pasta), or in this case the spaghetti squash. Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Dice the peppers and onions.
- Saute the onions for 5-7 minutes in a skillet.
- Add the peppers and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the broth, seasonings, and lentils, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Add the goat cheese, mix to combine, and heat for a minute or two.
- Remove and spoon over pasta, rice, or vegetables like spaghetti squash.
Suggestions / Recipe Tips
Lentils – You can use green, brown, or black lentils. Red lentils will not work well for this recipe.
Broth – Vegetable, chicken, or beef, all will work great.
Cheese – I love the flavour and consistency of goat cheese. Feel free to add whatever kind of cheese suits your taste buds.
Peppers – Use any colour you like, and if you like it spicy add some hot peppers.
Fresh Herbs – Are always a great garnish. Basil, thyme, and oregano are perfect here.
Serving – This meatless sauce is perfect for pasta, rice, and low-carb veggies like spaghetti squash and zucchini noodles. It also makes a great lentil side dish.
Storage – Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, place it in the freezer. This is a great recipe for batch cooking.
What Are Puy Lentils Anyway?
Have you ever wondered how to pronounce “Puy” lentils? These cute little French lentils keep their shape after cooking, and David Lebovitz refers to them as “cheap caviar”.
They have a peppery taste, can be eaten hot or cold, a great addition to soups, sauces, and salads. These little gems are grown in France and are also known as Le Puy lentils, lentilles du Puy.
If your bag of green lentils does not state Puy, they are not from France, but likely North America or Italy.
Looking for a few more pasta recipes? Give these a try:
Vegetarian Green Lentil Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
For the Puy Lentil Sauce:
- 1 cup Puy lentils (rinsed)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 ounces onion (diced)
- 7 ounces red pepper (diced)
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 5 ounces goat cheese (I used herb flavoured)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- fresh thyme (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the peppers and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the seasonings, broth, and lentils.
- Bring to boil, reduce to medium and cook until done (about 30 minutes). Mix several times during the cooking process.
- When done, add the goat cheese. Mix to combine the cheese in the sauce.
- Remove from heat.
- Spoon over your choice of pasta.
- Garnish with fresh herbs.
Dominique | Perchance to Cook
I always wonder what to do with lentils and now I know what to do! This recipe looks so good. I love that use of goat cheese too to add some creaminess to tit.I’m going to try this with spaghetti squash because it just sounds so good!. 🙂
Homemade & Yummy
Lentils are awesome. Healthy, nutritious, budget-friendly too. You can do so many wonderful things with them. Hope you give this recipe a try.
Amanda
I LOVE Le Puy lentils! They’re my favorite of all lentil varieties and I keep them in constant supply in my pantry. How delicious they must be as a pasta sauce, especially paired with spaghetti squash and herbed goat cheese. This will be going in our dinner rotation very soon!
Homemade & Yummy
OMG…the goat cheese/lentil combination is sooooo good. This is a healthy, hearty and delicious meal.
Toni | Boulder Locavore
It looks so healthy and packed full of flavors!
Homemade & Yummy
This is such a delicious meatless sauce that is hearty and nutritious as well. Hope you give it a try.
Stephanie Simmons
I love meatless monday! The combination of lentils and spaghetti squash is so delicious! This is a great recipe
Homemade & Yummy
This is a great meatless meal for sure.
Chef Mireille
I love lentils and experimenting with all the various types though I’ve heard a lot about puy I have yet to try this variety. I use red lentils a lot in soups and other foods.
Homemade & Yummy
All kinds of lentils are delicious for sure. Some types work well in certain recipes. Puy lentils keep their shape and have a nice meaty texture.
Helen
I adore lentils – always have several different jars in the cupboard. I usually braise Puy and often serve with sausages, but it is an inspired idea making a sauce with them. All the yum.
Homemade & Yummy
Lentils are so nutritious and easy to work with too. Hope you give this PUY lentil recipe a try soon.
Sasmita Sahoo Samanta
What a lovely vegetarian meal ! looks absolutely wonderful … Bookmarking to try my hand soon 🙂
Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY…we really like this recipe a lot.
Heather
Been looking for some healthy recipes for the week…and LOVE the goat cheese addition!
Homemade & Yummy
Goat cheese makes everything so delicious. Hope you give this recipe a try.
Jessica Freimann
I’ve been learning to like Spaghetti Squash lately and this looks like the perfect dish to try! I love lentils!
Homemade & Yummy
It is the most fun squash of all. Works so well as a pasta alternative in this healthy recipe.
Mirlene
I enjoy goat cheese but I never thought about combining it with lentils. I have to try this recipe. It has lot of bold flavors.
Homemade & Yummy
It works really well in this recipe…hope you give it a try soon.
Kari Heron
I LOVE lentils. They are a staple larder item in my kitchen. Never thought of adding cheese to them. Will try this!
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you do…this is such a great recipe. Lentils and goat cheese work so well together.
Lisa Huff
Great timing! I’ve been meaning to make lentils more often. This is a perfect one to try!
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much, hope you give this a try.
Marisa Franca
We are going to the grocery store this morning and I will be buying the goat cheese. When I saw this recipe the other day I knew I had to make it so I bought the lentils. We ate the rest of the goat cheese yesterday so I have to buy some more ASAP so I can make the lentil sauce. I never thought of using lentils for a sauce. What a great idea.
Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy….this is such a hearty and nutritious sauce. I can eat it by the spoonful.
Donna
My kids lentils, so we have been adding them to everything lately. They are so easy to prepare, it always makes for such an easy meal. LOVE the goat’s cheese in here, what a great way to get a tangy yet earthy flavor pairing with the lentils. Yum.
Homemade & Yummy
That is awesome that your kids love lentils. The goat’s cheese works well in this recipe.
Sues
I’ve cooked with green lentils before, but never in a sauce like this one. This looks seriously awesome… I love the addition of the goat cheese and the fact that you used it on spaghetti squash!
Homemade & Yummy
Nutritious and delicious all the way around. Enjoy!!