Spicy Beluga Lentil Pasta Sauce

If you are looking for a great meatless pasta sauce, this Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce is ideal. Budget-friendly too!

Beluga lentils make this sauce thick, hearty, and nutritious. Dried mushrooms (soaked in red wine) give a nice earthy tone to this dense spicy sauce.

My family would eat pasta every night of the week if I let them. Healthy sauces are just what we need. Tomato puttanesca is another favourite of ours.

Black lentils are such a great ingredient. We love Poached Eggs & Lentil Hash for brunch or dinner.

RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this pasta with lentils can be found at the bottom of this post.

Did you know that lentils are great for gluten-free and vegan recipes too?

• an economical source of protein
• rich in minerals, vitamins, and fibre
• heart healthy
• low in fat

Here are a few ways we enjoy them in our house:

• Puy Lentils – another great pasta with lentils recipe.
• Marinated Lentils – perfect to add to soups, stews, sandwiches, and more.
• Meatless Tourtiere – a healthy version of the classic French Canadian holiday dish.
• Cream Cheese Balls – a fun appetizer for your next party.
• Vegan Mushroom Pate – excellent as a topper, sandwich spread, or dip.

This Black Lentil Recipe Needs

• Dried mushrooms
• Red wine
• Black lentils
• Onion
• Garlic
• Bell peppers
• Canned tomatoes
• Red chili flakes and additional seasonings
• Tomato sauce
• Olive oil
• Garnish

Making This Beluga Lentil Pasta Sauce Is Easy

It is all done in one pan. Full instructions are in the recipe card below. Be sure to check out the suggestions and recipe tips section.

Here is a quick overview:

• Soak the mushrooms in the wine. Drain and chop. Reserve the wine.
• Rinse lentils and set them aside.
• Chop all your veggies (onion, garlic, and peppers).
• Heat the oil in a skillet.
• Cook onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
• Add reserved wine and additional seasonings.
• Toss in lentils, mushrooms, and peppers.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water.
• The sauce is done when it has a nice thick consistency.

The cooking time from start to finish is about 45 minutes. During that time cook, your pasta.

Serve the sauce over the pasta. Garnish with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and chopped basil.

Suggestions/Recipe Tips

Dried Mushrooms – Always need to be reconstituted. You can use any liquid you like. Replace the dried mushrooms with regular mushrooms. You will have to increase the amount.

Red Wine – Dry red wine is best for this recipe. You can use white if you prefer. Don’t want to use wine? No problem, leave it out. Water can be used for the dried mushrooms instead.

Seasonings – Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning. You can play around with any combination you like.

Garnish – Grated cheese and fresh herbs are always great choices.

Pasta – You can choose any kind and shape of pasta you wish. You can even use gluten-free pasta. Did you know there is lentil pasta? So delicious. This sauce would also be perfect over homemade herbed potato gnocchi.

Storage – Always store in a sealed container in the fridge. This sauce will last 4-5 days. It also freezes well and will last 4-5 months in the freezer.

Reheating – I like to reheat in a pot on the stove. Another option is in a covered dish in a moderate oven. You can use the microwave too, but be sure to mix often, and do it on a lower setting to get even heating.

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Need a little more meatless inspiration? Give these lentil recipes a try:

• Curried Coconut Lentils
• Lentil Salad
• Rice and Lentil Soup