Pasta with lentils and kale

Recipe from 2011

What to do with this week's kale?  This recipe is a good starting point.  To make life easier, cook the lentils the day before, or use canned lentils or some other kind of canned beans instead (drained and rinsed). This recipe is derived from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health.


1 c. brown lentils, picked over and washed
3 c. water
1 bay leaf
8 oz chunky pasta (like penne or macaroni)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 carrots, diced
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
4 c. bite-size chopped kale
4 tsp. minced fresh thyme (or 2 tsp. dried thyme)
2 medium tomatoes, diced (or 2 c. chopped canned tomatoes)
Ground black pepper
Grated parmesan cheese

Cook the lentils: In a covered saucepan, bring the lentils, water and bay leaf to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until tender but not mushy, about 25 minutes. Drain and set aside. Alternatively, open a can of lentils or beans, rinse, drain and set aside.

Cook the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring a bit, until slightly softened. Add the garlic and salt and cook until the onions are very soft, another 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots, paprika and red pepper flakes and cook until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the bite-size chopped kale and about ½ cup of water and cook until the kale is tender, which might take a while. Keep tasting it to see if the kale is done to your liking (we like it very cooked). Add more water if the pan gets too dry. When the vegetable mixture is all done, stir in the thyme and tomatoes and turn off the heat.

Cook the pasta: Meanwhile, bring a large covered stock pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it’s done the way you like it. Drain the pasta.

Mix everything together: In the great big pasta stock pot, combine the drained lentils, drained pasta and cooked vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve at the table with Parmesan cheese.