A straightforward, tasty, and adaptable cuisine that is vegan by nature but can be readily modified to satisfy both vegans and omnivores—perfect for family dinners and other gatherings where there will be a range of dietary preferences.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 55 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¾ cup dry lentils
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces vegan sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices (Optional)
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 (12 ounce) package rotini pasta
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (Optional)
Instructions
- Bring the vegetable broth, lentils, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and bay leaf to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Add additional broth if needed to keep the lentils moist. Discard the bay leaf once done.
- As the lentils simmer, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, thyme, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute, then add the sausage. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the onion has softened, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the kale and rotini pasta. Cook until the rotini is al dente, about 8 minutes. Remove some of the cooking water, and set aside. Drain the pasta, then return to the pot, and stir in the lentils, and onion mixture. Use the reserved cooking liquid to adjust the moistness of the dish to your liking. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast to serve.
Reviews
Loved it! I used Field Roast Italian Sausage and served it to my vegetarian and meat eating family and they loved it, too! This is more a testament to Field Roast, but they almost didn’t believe it was vegan. Good work!
This was as amazing as everyone said it would be! The only changes I made was that I used dried spices and I used vegetable broth to cook the onion rather than oil, and it didn’t lose anything other than fat and calories! (Hubby did use parmesan rather than the nutritional yeast I used.) Definitely a saver to make again. Satisfying, tasty, easy- the trifecta!
This was good. I did make some minor changes / exchanges. I replaced the pasta with quinoa, the kale with spinach, and the vegan sausage with chicken sausage. To give it a little spice we added cayenne pepper. This is a good recipe to play with. We look forward to making it again.
I will try again and steam the kale apart from the pasta. I will add more spices to the lentils and not drain them before mixing in. I will also use white or yellow onion to saute instead of red, since the red browns and doesn’t look appetizing. I’m not giving up on this one since my kids liked it as is, but they picked out the kale.
I didn’t attempt to cook the kale. I used 1/2 a box of baby kale instead of preparing myself. Then, when I combined pasta, onion mix & lentils, I added kale. I let it wilt for a minute & then dished out. I also used dried spices. It was great! I was surprised I liked it at all, but this is very well seasoned.
Excellent dish
Grabbed a bag of red lentils and a bunch of kale and came home and checked to see what I could do with them. Decided to go with this recipe and how happy I am! I didn’t bother with sausage. This is so good! Very satisfying. Would work great with chicken. Only thing different I did from recipe is I added some diced tomatoes as others suggested. I’m not vegan but this could convert me!
I just made this tonight and it was surprisingly good. The lentils turned out mushy just like some other reviewers stated but I didn’t mind the texture. The one thing I would change is the amount of olive oil. The recipe calls for a little too much to my liking. I would cut that in half and add as needed to cook the onions. Will definitely make this again.
This really was delicious. I’ve never put lentils with pasta before, but it makes a good combination. I don’t like most vegan sausages, so I added about a pound of sauteed mushrooms instead(for extra bulk and “meatiness”). I also added a couple of minced shallots for extra oomph. I sauteed the kale in about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil instead of boiling or steaming, and it was great. I’d make this again and I’m not a vegan, or even a vegetarian. Five stars.
We really enjoyed this recipe. Of course, I did personalize a bit. instead of taking time to cook the lentils, I added a can of drained chick peas. I also added lots of fresh garlic and steamed the kale over top of the sausage & onion mixture. Delish!
I made this with a few adjustments: cut the pasta in half (I think you could leave it out completely), substituted ground pork for the vegan sausage and chicken broth for the vegetable broth, added tomatoes and mushrooms, and use dried instead of fresh herbs. Use extra liquid as the lentils will continue to soak it up. Delicious and heated up well for leftovers – my husband and I both loved it.
I steamed the kale separately. Used brown lentils and vegetarian bouillon cubes. Added mushrooms and sliced grape tomatoes. Used field roast apple sage vegan sausage. Mixed in organic tri-colored quinoa instead of pasta. Delish!
Fantastic. Just made this for the first time. Something I will continue to make. I will try steaming the kale instead of boiling them next time and adding cherry tomatoes at the end may add some color. I didn’t need to add any of the reserved liquid. Everything came out perfect.
We just finished eating this for supper. Everyone enjoyed it! My only change was to add garlic to the onion/sausage mixture, decrease the oil to about 2 Tablespoons, and use turkey sausage. Will make again.
This is a delicious, hearty vegan recipe. I used baby kale (Costco) and just chopped it a bit and added it to the onion/sausage mixture during the last minute or so. As a shortcut, I skipped step 1 and used Trader Joe’s pre-prepared lentils. Will definitely make this again.
This came out very tasty, although I tweaked it a bit to make it healthier. I used quinoa instead of pasta and cubed, roasted butternut squash instead of sausage. I also added a chopped tomato and some fresh garlic to the saute mixture and topped the dish with a small sprinkle of feta cheese.
My husband loved the flavors. Like another reviewer, the red lentils came out mushy but aside from texture, the taste was still good. I would say the prep time is not 30 min. I had the entire dish done in about 30 min–I almost didn’t make the recipe b/c of the approx time so even if you are short on time, you can still make this dish.
I followed other reviewers suggestions of steaming the kale. I omitted the sausage, but added mushrooms and cherry tomatoes instead. I think the cherry tomatoes & mushrooms gave off enough liquid, because I didn’t need to use any pasta water. Added some red pepper flake to the onion. And also added a lot of white wine to the lentils while cooking. Yum. Will try over brown rice in the future to change things up.
I made this tonight for dinner and I thought it was very good. I did have to add extra veggie broth to the lentils to keep them moist while I was waiting on the pasta to cook, so definitely keep enough on hand. I used Gimme Lean! veggie sausage in the onion mixture, and it turned out great! I would recommend.
Great taste…didn’t miss meat
Everyone in my family loved this, including the 1, 4, and 6 year olds! Easily adaptable, we spooned the lentils and kale over fresh biscuits instead of adding pasta. Delicious!