Spaghetti With Lentils, Tomato and Fennel
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1cup small lentils, such as Castelluccio or Puy
- A small piece of Parmesan rind (optional)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2small fennel bulbs, diced (about 2 cups), lacy green fronds finely chopped and reserved
- ½teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- ½cup tomato passata or crushed canned tomato
- 1pound spaghetti
- Shavings of ricotta salata or pecorino cheese
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
465 calories; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 78 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 406 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Rinse lentils. Put them in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Toss in Parmesan rind, if using. Add a good pinch of salt and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils and reserve cooking water.
- Step 2
As lentils cook, put 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is wavy, add diced onion and fennel, and season with salt and pepper. Add fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until softened and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Add garlic, passata and 2 or 3 tablespoons finely chopped fennel fronds. Stir to combine and add drained lentils. Turn heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or so, until somewhat thickened. Taste and correct seasoning, then cook for 5 minutes more, so the flavors meld. Add lentil cooking water as necessary to keep everything saucy.
- Step 4
As sauce cooks, set a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Divide among individual bowls and ladle sauce over each serving. Top with shavings of ricotta salata and more chopped fennel fronds. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Lynn
I think it would be a good idea to mash the lentils somewhat to make them easier to eat with the pasta. So they get more sauce-like. It worked for me.
Liz
This seemed dry and not so saucy to me, so I added a full 28 oz of crush tomatoes. Very good. Looking forward to leftovers.
Adrienne
I plan to serve this lentil recipe over spaghetti squash in lieu of pasta.
Sara
Is the spaghetti with marmalade and salami really good, or really bad? I'm curious.
pretty good but not calling home about it
I used chicken stock instead of water for the lentils and ended up adding all of the liquid to the final sauce. i also used a full 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes. I’d make this again if I had some fennel I didn’t know what to do with.
Wallatom
The dish worked out very well, tasty and rich and much like a bolognese as described. However, our experience followed that of others in that the lentils soaked up much of the water which we replenished with tomato water to keep it saucy. Otherwise, this would have been very dry. Surprisingly, we did not discern much fennel flavor in the dish although the overall flavor was wonderful. We wanted to add some fennel sausage, but we had none on hand. This was still a great dish without the meat.
dawn holder
This turned out really great using gnocchi instead of spaghetti! I added the gnocchi (the soft shelf stable ones) to the pan at the same time as the garlic and tomatoes (two medium sized heirloom tomatoes in large chunks instead of canned) and let them simmer until the tomatoes just started to get soft. Then added the lentils and let it all simmer for a few more minutes. Other additions were a splash of wine to deglaze onion/fennel mixture and then a little sherry vinegar for brightness.
LA.VWK
I left out the pasta and loved it as a side dish
Philip
Excellent!
Tina S
Cooked as directed (mostly). Fabulous. Parmesan rind is magic!
Laura Nak
I've been making a tomato sauce with lentils for years. This was a revelation. Only a bit of tomato. I did add a little more than David Tanis' excellent recipe. Then added the thick lentil water and some pasta water to make it saucier. The fennel makes itnseem like you're eating sausage. Sooo satisfying!
Lee
I made changes and we loved it. I added one link of Italian sausage to the onion. Once those were browned I added a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes. Didn’t have fennel but added fennel seed, fennel pollen, crushed red pepper. Served it over orecchiette. We will make it again.
k meier
Made it exactly according to the recipe. It is bland and boring. Maybe cooking the noodles in vegetable broth would have helped, but the problem is with the sauce.
Laura Nak
I've been making a tomato sauce with lentils for years. This was a revelation. Only a bit of tomato. I did add a little more than David Tanis' excellent recipe. Then added the thick lentil water and some pasta water to make it saucier. The fennel makes itnseem like you're eating sausage. Sooo satisfying!
Lisa Cannon
Yum, better than I expected. Used all of the lentil water to moisten the sauce. The fennel gives it a meaty quality as if it had been aromatized by a classic lasagna bolognese without actually being one.
Mary
Unlikely combination but delicious. Needed more tomato sauce and then pasta water to thin the mixture out. Will make it again.
Val F
This was surprisingly simple and delicious. I didn’t have fennel bulb so just added the onion. Had leftover store bought marinara in place of the passata. Used lentils de puy. Really nourishing and nice. It’s going into the rotation.
Lori W
This was “surprisingly good”, says my husband. He ‘s right! I had a few fennel bulbs from the farmer’s market hanging around and everything else in the pantry. It’s such an unusual combination of ingredients but it it delicious! For sure making this meatless wonder again.
Karen D.
I am not a lentil fan and I never would have tried this recipe but my husband insisted on making it after a Parisienne friend suggested lentils and pasta go well together. The only change he did was to leave out the salt but added a few anchovies. He did overcook the lentils but I think that worked out well. Excellent recipe and we will add to our cooking roster.
Tina S
Cooked as directed (mostly). Fabulous. Parmesan rind is magic!
pretty good but not calling home about it
I used chicken stock instead of water for the lentils and ended up adding all of the liquid to the final sauce. i also used a full 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes. I’d make this again if I had some fennel I didn’t know what to do with.
Vegan_Isaac
I only had a red onion and I think it came out great. I also tossed a bit of chickpea miso to the noodles prior to serving.
Philip
Excellent!
LA.VWK
I left out the pasta and loved it as a side dish
Max D.
I used an immersion blender at the end to make the sauce more saucy. I didn’t puree everything, just enough to give it a more sauce-like consistency.
Meg
I enjoyed this dish quite a bit, but I’m a huge fan of lentil. I didn’t have fennel fronds, really, as Trader Joe’s fennel comes trimmed. I used bucatini—Trader Joe’s had bucatini, glory be!!—and topped it off with crumbled Pecorino.
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