Spaghetti With Lentils, Tomato and Fennel
Published November 3, 2020
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
1 cup small lentils, such as Castelluccio or Puy
A small piece of Parmesan rind (optional)
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 small fennel bulbs, diced (about 2 cups), lacy green fronds finely chopped and reserved
½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup tomato passata or crushed canned tomato
1 pound spaghetti
Shavings of ricotta salata or pecorino cheese
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
78 grams carbs; 2 milligrams cholesterol; 465 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 406 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
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.
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Preparation
- 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
Comments
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.
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.
I plan to serve this lentil recipe over spaghetti squash in lieu of pasta.
I don’t know if it was the kind of lentils I used, but 30 minutes is way too long to simmer them if aiming for something not resembling porridge. Nevertheless, this still turned out really well, just not as intended. I added a bit more passata and all of the drained cooking liquid from the lentils at the beginning rather than after ten minutes, resulting in a thick, sumptuous sauce that coated the spaghetti really well. If you want more fennel flavour, definitely double the amount of crushed seeds to a full heaping teaspoon.
Excellent! I've been making this recipe as written for years now. I'm always blown away by how interesting and delicious the flavor combinations are. Def opt into the parm rind, it makes such a difference!
This recipe is lentils cosplaying as Italian sausage. I had made the lentils the night before so used the full can of tomatoes and added about 1/2c water to loosen them up. My vegan husband thought it was a great novel flavor, I liked that it was pretty easy and hearty. Don’t skip the olive oil when serving, it added a lot, and so did grated Romano. Next time I will add a few more Italian herbs, like oregano and basil.