Perfect for “Meatless Monday” this Puy Lentil Sauce is a great alternative to meat-based sauces. Nutritious, gluten-free, and budget-friendly. A delicious and easy lentil pasta sauce with no tomatoes.
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 dinner. You may also like to try this spicy beluga lentil pasta sauce too.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this quick lentil sauce can be found at the bottom of this post.
Lentils are so easy to prepare. Healthy lentil recipes are perfect for helping you in the “weight loss” department. Chock full of nutrition, fiber, and a great protein alternative to meat that works for gluten-free and vegan diets too.
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 recipes 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.
Puy 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)
Making Green Lentil Pasta Sauce Is Easy
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.
Recipe Substitutions/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.
Fresh Herbs – Are always a great garnish. Basil, thyme, and oregano are perfect here.
Serving – This creamy lentil 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.
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Looking for a few more pasta recipes? Give these a try:
Puy 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.
Moop Brown
This lentil recipe looks flavorful, tasty and protein-packed. Thank you for sharing, can’t wait to try.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy, this is a really easy to make lentil recipe.
Hayley
I am always on the lookout for more vegetarian pasta sauce recipes and this one looked absolutely delicious! I gave it a go over the weekend and the flavours were amazing – this one will be a regular on the menu!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed this lentil pasta sauce.
Jamie
Oh my, this lentil soup looks absolutely delicious and is very appealing! I love that this dish is vegan and very budget-friendly! I love the raw and fresh ingredients! Thanks for sharing this with us!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You can never go wrong with a great lentil recipe.
Tristin
My kids don’t normally like spaghetti squash but they loved it with the lentil sauce and cleaned their plates.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
We love the combination of spaghetti squash with this lentil sauce.
Susan
I love lentils, so this recipe is right up my alley. It would be a GREAT weeknight dinner for me, and love the idea in one of the comments to spoon leftovers into pita bread.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Lentils are delicious no matter how you eat them.ENJOY!
Ann
I am still pretty new to lentils, but this recipe sounds pretty simple. Thanks for the recipe share – excited to give it a try!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Lentils are so easy to prepare, you will be a pro in no time.
Monica
So delicious and easy to make! Definitely adding to the rotation for our meatless meals – always looking for new ideas and lentils are so healthy, too!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, lentils are the perfect ingredient for meatless meals.
Alex
I love that it’s all made in one pot! The perfect weeknight meal. Just need to get my hands on some puy lentils and then I’m making this!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Lentils are easy to find, and this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
Erin
Thanks for the info on puy lentils! I hadn’t even heard of them, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for them. Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I love them since they hold their shape after cooking. Enjoy this lentil sauce.
Katie Crenshaw
The lentils combined with the red pepper, onions, and goat cheese made such a delicious sauce. I didn’t miss the meat at all!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I have to agree with you, meatless does not mean disappointing that is for sure.
Mikayla
We made this when my mom visited this week, we all enjoyed it and had left overs in pita pockets for lunch the next day. So good!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Karen
This pasta dish is a game-changer! The creamy goat cheese and Puy lentil sauce are a perfect match. Very delicious and healthy.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
This is one of our favourite meatless sauces by far.
Jerika
Yay! This Puy lentil pasta sauce is indeed perfect for busy weeknights!:) This is so easy to prepare and budget friendly. Thanks!:)
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You are very welcome.
Kim Beaulieu
My kids loved this recipe. We have vegans and vegetarians in the family so I love finding recipes without meat to try out whenever they visit us.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
This is the perfect meatless sauce recipe for sure.
Elizabeth
Iโd never tried this before but it was such a great weeknight dinner! Will definitely make again.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, so easy and delicious. We love this lentil recipe.