pesto, parmesan & spinach red lentil pasta (grain free, scd diet)

this is an easy and flexible pasta dish, with pesto, parmesan and options for the veggies. serve it cold or hot for the ultimate versatility.

Dinner!!! I am trying my fine-feathered friend. I’m back with another way-too-easy dinner idea, whether it be a quick weeknight meal or a more relaxed weekend meal, this dish is going to hit the spot. It’s hard not to when you combine pasta with cheese, and this is leveled up from just that.

I use red lentil pasta in my diet pretty routinely, although it’s not an every day occurrence, it will make a monthly appearance probably. It’s technically not SCD legal, let’s just get that said and done off top– well, at least I cannot guarantee that it is. I believe you can find a red lentil pasta brand that actually soaks their lentils first and thus makes it SCD legal on a site like Wellbee’s, but personally, I haven’t explored those options– I’ve been buying red lentil pasta from my local health food as well as on Amazon (I got some I was super excited about recently off Amazon– find the link here if you’re curious — but it’s six packages total, three are red lentil spaghetti which I’ve never had and I’m super excited about– legit spaghetti!! And three are red lentil penne — hence this recipe right here).

Now that we’ve got your red lentil pasta needs sorted, let’s dive into the recipe at hand.

I love doing a recipe like this because it’s easy and versatile for whatever ingredients you might have in the kitchen, and that’s why I give two options for both veggies in this dish– because myself I’ve made it both ways depending on what ingredients I had available, and I love the flexibility of this. Thus, you can choose between making this dish with spinach or with arugula; with cherry tomatoes or with a big ol’ regular tomato. The world is your freaking oyster!!

Apart from choosing your penne pasta accoutrement, you cannot skip on the pesto, that is obviously/clearly a must for this recipe to even be a recipe. That being said, I’ve included a general/basic basil pesto recipe if you plan on prepping it fresh alongside this recipe, but of course, feel free to use an already-prepped pesto, or if you happen to be able to eat a store-bought basil pesto, you can totally use that too. 

Finally, another *must have* for this recipe is the parmesan cheese. There is parmesan cheese in the pesto of course, but you need to add some to the pasta dish itself to really get that flavour popping in there. But definitely feel free to add more parmesan and/or pesto per your preference, because the more the merrier.

ALSO it needs to be stated: this recipe is fantastic hot just as it is cold. You could prep this recipe in advance for a picnic or brunch and serve it cold, it would still be a hit. If you want the cozy and comforting factor, then serve it warm and grate extra parmesan all over the top of it to get all nice and melt-y. 

Find the full recipe and instructions for this pesto spinach red lentil pasta below. If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes! Drop me a comment below or on my Instagram @grainfreee.

A few related recipes if you’re looking for some more savoury, meal-centric ideas:

• EASY HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN THIGHS WITH GREEN ONIONS 
• SLOW COOKED AND TENDER FLANK STEAK
• EASY CHEESY SHEET PAN CAULIFLOWER
• LEMON-GARLIC PAN-FRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
• FIGGY PAN-FRIED CHICKEN & PROSCIUTTO WITH PARMESAN-AVOCADO SALAD

pesto parmesan spinach red lentil pasta: ingredients

pasta

• 2 + 1/2 cups uncooked red lentil pasta of choice
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated (and extra for topping)
• 1/2 cup basil pesto (if you need a quick recipe, i’ll include mine below as well)
• 2 cups fresh spinach (or fresh arugula)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (or diced tomato)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

homemade pesto

• 2 cups basil leaves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 cloves garlic
• pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp salt

pesto parmesan spinach red lentil pasta: how to

1. if you need to prepare your pesto first, you can put all of the ingredients except for the olive oil in your food processor and proceed to blend, streaming the oil in as you go, until desired consistency.
2. next, prepare your pasta per the package directions– i try to do it a bit al dente because you will sautee it further with the pesto, parmesan and veggies!
3. now, heat your cast iron pan with a tbsp of olive oil over medium heat– once hot, place your cherry tomatoes or diced tomato chunks and fry for 2-3 minutes, before turning down the heat to low and adding your spinach (or arugula).
4. allow spinach to wilt and then add your pasta, remaining tbsp of olive oil, pesto and parmesan, tossing everything together as you add it, coating well.
5. turn off heat and serve immediately. alternately, this pasta is also delicious cold– place it in the fridge and serve it the following day as a cold pasta salad.

Print Recipe

pesto parmesan spinach red lentil pasta

this is an easy and flexible pasta dish, with pesto, parmesan and options for the veggies. serve it cold or hot for the ultimate versatility.

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Servings: 4 people

Author: rose of grainfreee.com

Ingredients

• 2 + 1/2 cups uncooked red lentil pasta of choice
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated and extra for topping
• 1/2 cup basil pesto if you need a quick recipe, i'll include mine below as well
• 2 cups fresh spinach or fresh arugula
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes or diced tomato
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

homemade basil pesto (if you need a recipe)

• 2 cups basil leaves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 cloves garlic
• pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

• if you need to prepare your pesto first, you can put all of the ingredients except for the olive oil in your food processor and proceed to blend, streaming the oil in as you go, until desired consistency.
• next, prepare your pasta per the package directions– i try to do it a bit al dente because you will sautee it further with the pesto, parmesan and veggies!
• now, heat your cast iron pan with a tbsp of olive oil over medium heat– once hot, place your cherry tomatoes or diced tomato chunks and fry for 2-3 minutes, before turning down the heat to low and adding your spinach.
• allow spinach to wilt and then add your pasta, remaining tbsp of olive oil, pesto and parmesan, tossing everything together as you add it, coating well.
• turn off heat and serve immediately. alternately, this pasta is also delicious cold– place it in the fridge and serve it the following day as a cold pasta salad.