No craving comes on as strong as the craving for comforting Italian food. Satisfy your need for pasta and flavorful sauce with this Vegan Meat Sauce With Lentils And Quinoa Served Over Pasta.
This vegan meat sauce is made using quinoa and lentils. This makes for a natural whole food alternative to using fake meats! This recipe is the perfect example of comfort food made in a whole foods plant-based way!
One of the amazing things about this recipe is that I made it using kitchen staples and dried ingredients. I love to keep quinoa, lentils, pasta, and jarred pasta always on hand by purchasing in bulk. This ensures I always have something easy and healthy to make meals out of, even if I skip grocery shopping for a week!
If you are looking for more creative ways to make healthy meals out of pantry staples, make sure to download your FREE copy of my Healthy Grocery Essentials Shopping List! It is a PDF Printable Shopping with an 8 recipe guide to give you ideas on how to make use of your groceries. I promise this shopping list will save you time, money, and give you fresh recipe ideas!
Quinoa:
For a grain, quinoa is very protein-rich containing 8 grams per cup. Quinoa is a good source (10% or more RDI) of the following: protein, fiber, copper, iron, vitamin B6, and thiamin. (1)
Lentils:
Rich in both solvable and insoluble fiber, which contributes to the feeling a fullness and can help with IBS.
As a result of lentil’s fiber, folate, and magnesium content they are a very heart-healthy food. They restore your body’s iron supply leading to healthy sustainable energy. Lastly, lentils are rich in protein providing 18 grams per cup. (2)
Make this recipe your own:
- If you do not have lentils at home you can use all quinoa or vice versa.
- Any pasta sauce of your choice will work! I have used both tomato basil and a four-cheese sauce that both worked wonderfully.
- If you do not have a rice cooker, cook the quinoa and lentils together in the pot you would make rice in.
- Add fresh parsley or basil as a garnish.
- If you like a “saucier” sauce, mix in less cooked lentils and quinoa into the pasta sauce.
Vegan Meat Sauce With Lentils And Quinoa Served With Pasta
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
- Large Pot
- Large Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 1 24oz Jar Marinara Sauce I used Trader Joes Garlic Marinara
- 1/2 White Onion Diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1/2 Cup Split Red Lentils
- 3/4 Cup White Quinoa
- 6 oz Pasta I used Penne Pasta
- To Taste Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Cayenne Pepper. Optional: I always add my own spices to taste to enhance the flavor or store bought pasta sauce.
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Drain and rinse lentils until water runs clear over them. Combine Lentils, Quinoa, 2.5 cups of water, and a dash of salt in a rice cooker. Turn rice cooker on and allow them to cook until the rice cooker pops.
- Boil water and cook the pasta of your choice according to the directions on the pasta's packaging.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onions until soft. Pour the jar of marinara sauce over top. Season with desired spices to taste and stir well. Lower heat.
- After the quinoa and lentils have fully cooked, slowly add them to the marina sauce and combine.
- Serve the marinara sauce over the pasta and top with nutritional yeast, parmesan, cracked pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes.
I hope that you and your family love this recipe as much as I do! If you try it please let me know in the comments how you liked it!
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Love,
Jordana
