I have to share this with you because I’m obsessed with red lentil pasta at the moment. It’s super filling, has great flavour and is a dream with this simple sauce. Even if you’re not gluten free it makes a nice change and is an easy way for adding more protein t vegetarian pasta dishes. It’s just an all round win.

I normally wouldn’t bother with gluten free pasta because a lot of it doesn’t do anything for me in the texture department and I don’t need to eat gluten free. Yes, I should watch my wheat in take with the whole fructose thing but that just means I can’t have multiple bowls of pasta… something my butt is probably grateful for… Anyway, back to why I bother with this pasta! My sister and her friend Amy got me on to it in the states and I’m hooked it has good texture, flavour and all the goodness of lentils. You can just use normal pasta in this dish though!

The nuttiness of pesto is great with it too, especially with the sweet pumpkin and punchy semi dried tomato flavour. All the yum! Check the ingredients on the pesto (look for olive oil based ones!) or make you’re own. I love making this cheats cheap version with sunflower seeds rather than pine nuts. This is another great healthy one.

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin cut into 1-2cm cubes

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 tsp olive oil

350g red lentil pasta

1/2 cup roughly chopped semi dried tomatoes

1/2 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp lemon juice

4 Tbs basil pesto

parmesan to serve

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Toss pumpkin with thyme and 1 tsp olive oil and spread on a lined baking tray. Season. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until tender and starting to colour.

Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Once cooked toss with pesto, remaining olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Once well combined add the tomatoes and cooked pumpkin, toss again and serve sprinkled with parmesan.

HH. x