Pasta with Lentils & Spinach

This is the kind of pasta Italian grandmothers cook on a Tuesday: cheap, fast, fiber-loaded, and good for you without trying to be. Red lentils are the unsung hero here. They cook in 15 minutes flat and break down just slightly into a creamy texture that clings to the pasta like a sauce of its own. Wholemeal spaghetti gives the dish its hearty backbone, but the pinch of nutmeg in the buttered onion is what makes the whole thing taste finished. Nutmeg has a long history with spinach in Northern Italian cooking and the warm, slightly sweet note works against the iron-y greens to balance everything. A squeeze of lemon over the cooked lentils brightens the legumes and keeps the dish from feeling heavy. Toasted pine nuts on top add a buttery crunch and just enough fat to make it feel indulgent. Vegan if you swap the butter for olive oil.

Pro Tips

• Don’t oversalt the lentil cooking water. They absorb seasoning fast and you can adjust at the end.
• Toast the pine nuts dry in a small skillet over medium heat. They burn from golden to charred in about 30 seconds, so don’t walk away.
• Use baby spinach and add it raw at the end. It wilts in residual heat without going to mush.
• Cook pasta until just tender. The starch from al dente pasta clings better to the lentils.
• Save a splash of pasta water before draining. Stir it in if the dish looks dry.

Variations

• Add a clove of minced garlic to the buttered onions for more savory depth.
• Swap pine nuts for toasted walnuts, almonds, or pumpkin seeds.
• Top with shaved parmesan or pecorino, or a dollop of ricotta for extra richness.