You don’t always have time to make sauce from scratch, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on a delicious, comforting bowl of pasta. In this recipe, protein-packed red lentil pasta is combined with jarred tomato basil sauce and pesto sauce to make a meal so tasty and unique, you can pass it off as an improvised masterpiece. Want to make it vegan? Stick with a cheese- and dairy-free pesto or make your own vegan pesto with basil, spinach and walnuts.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pkg. Explore Cuisine Organic Red Lentil Penne
1 jar Vitacost Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
1 large eggplant, chopped
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Redmond Onion Salt
6 oz. pesto (or certified vegan pesto)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
Directions
- Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat coconut oil. Add garlic and onion salt and cook for about 1 minute. Add eggplant and stir fry until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add pesto and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat to low. Add tomato sauce to pan and simmer for a few minutes.
- Once pasta is cooked, mix with tomato eggplant sauce.
- To serve, garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese or keep it vegan with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.