This easy red lentil pasta recipe includes sautéed garlicky lemon kale and a vegan walnut “cheese” topping. It’s a quick, nutritious and satisfying way to enjoy a gluten-free pasta dinner.

Pasta!!

It’s my comfort food of choice (like a good Italian) and nothing satisfies quite like a big bowl of chewy (because overcooked pasta is a sin) pasta when the craving strikes.

And boy, am I glad to live in an era where gluten-free options like red lentil pasta are abundant.

Some people (my parents) swear there’s nothing like regular wheat pasta but I have to disagree. I think the options out there these days from chickpea to rice, quinoa and lentil are pretty darn impressive.

I’ll admit, not everything when it comes to gluten-free substitutes (looking at you, pizza crust) does a good job mimicking the real deal. But I just don’t find that to be true with gluten-free pasta options.

And red lentil pasta is hands down my favorite of all of them.

Red lentil pasta holds its shape and texture well when it’s cooked. It has the same al dente “chew” to it like the regular pasta.

And, best yet, its nutritional profile is excellent.

We’ve all been programmed to think of pasta as just a bowl of carbs but when you make a recipe with red lentil pasta, you get a significant amount of protein too.

The brand I used for this recipe has 21g of protein per serving. That’s pretty much the same as a 3-4 ounce piece of chicken or beef.

Not to mention, a whopping 9g of fiber too! As something Americans lack significantly in their diets, that’s clutch!

And that’s one of the reasons I love lentils so much.

Cooked red lentil pasta tossed with garlic and lemon sautéed kale in a skillet.

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RED LENTIL PASTA RECIPE

dry, uncooked red lentil pasta
extra virgin olive oil
garlic
kale
vegetable broth
lemon juice
lemon zest
salt & pepper
toasted walnuts
nutritional yeast

Chopped walnuts and nutritional yeast make a "cheesy" vegan topping for this red lentil pasta recipe.

The toasted walnuts and nutritional yeast are combined in a small bowl to create a “cheesy” vegan topping for the plant based pasta.

It’s optional and of course you can use actual cheese if preferred like parmesan or pecorino romano, but I love this for a plant-based option.

The walnuts also add a nice crunchy texture and healthy omega-3 fats while the nutritional yeast brings some impressive stats of its own.

High in B vitamins, fiber and protein, nutritional yeast (or nooch as it’s sometimes called) is a great addition to so many dishes but especially great in pasta dishes for its similarity in taste to real cheese.

I just love the combo of the two sprinkled on top of this easy red lentil pasta dish.

An easy pasta dinner that uses red lentil penne pasta for a gluten-free alternative.

HOW TO MAKE RED LENTIL PASTA WITH KALE

This is a simple 20 minute or so dish with quick steps and a short ingredient list.

First, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the red lentil pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.

I usually drain the pasta a minute before the low end of the cooking time range the package says because I like my pasta al dente.

Drain and rinse with cold water (this helps the pasta not stick) and set aside while the garlicky lemon kale comes together.

In a large skillet, add the olive oil and garlic over medium heat.

Adding the garlic to the skillet before the oil gets hot is key to infuse the oil with the flavor and not overcook/burn the garlic. So make note of this as most recipes have you add garlic once the oil is hot.

Once sizzling, add the kale and vegetable broth. Stir to coat the kale in the oil and garlic mixture and continue cooking until the kale wilts, about 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and zest. Add the cooked red lentil pasta to the skillet and toss everything together until well combined.

Serve the pasta with the prepared toasted walnut and nutritional yeast topping.

Gluten-free red lentil pasta is cooked then tossed with garlic lemon sautéed kale and topped with a walnut and nutritional yeast mixture for a delicious plant based vegan dinner.

WHAT SHAPE PASTA SHOULD I USE?

Shape really doesn’t matter. I used red lentil penne pasta here but use whatever shape you find or like! I actually like this recipe with linguine or another long strand noodle too. If I’m not making this lemon spinach feta pasta with it, I’ll use it for this dish instead.

Just make sure to heed the cooking time of the package as different shape pasta has different cooking time.

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT GLUTEN-FREE PASTA?

Yes, if you prefer to use chickpea pasta or brown rice pasta, go for it!

This recipe can easily be made with any kind of pasta type or shape.

CAN I USE DIFFERENT GREENS?

Yes! I mention some options in the recipe below.

Good swaps for the kale would be spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens (if you’re not making my favorite spicy collard greens recipe!) or dandelion greens (if you like bitter), even kohlrabi greens would work!

Escarole is another good option. Or, make this escarole soup recipe with it instead.

If you’re wondering what kind of kale to use in this recipe, any of them will work.

Shown in the pictures is red kale but regular green curly kale or lacinto (dinosaur) kale will also work.

I usually buy dinosaur kale as I find it most tender and easily digestible but I switched it up this time with a gorgeous bunch of red kale.

Plant based and protein packed red lentil pasta is a great gluten-free alternative for a hearty and comforting pasta dinner.

WHERE CAN I BUY RED LENTIL PASTA?

I’m seeing it in almost every grocery store these days which is exciting!

It wasn’t so long ago that finding these alternative gluten-free pastas was an exhaustive process.

With brands like Explore Cuisine (who is one of my favorites for all alternative pastas like my creamy pumpkin garlic pasta), Barilla, Trader Joe’s, Tolerant and Ancient Harvest making it now, you can pretty much find lentil pasta anywhere.

Of course, ordering online from a place like Thrive Market is another easy option. They have their own line of red lentil pasta too!

In under 30 minutes this red lentil pasta dinner with garlicky lemon greens is ready and on the table!

I’m all about eating more lentils and more plants in general.

Sometimes that looks like a big bowl of Instant Pot lentil soup or lentil bolognese.

But, I have to say, with lentil pasta now a normal thing in the pasta aisle, it’s hard for this red lentil pasta recipe to not become my new favorite.

It checks all the boxes being vegan, gluten-free, full of fiber and touting a plant count of 5.

Not to mention, this recipe is ready in under 30 minutes and made with pretty much all pantry/refrigerator items we tend to always have on hand.

I’m not someone who gets behind vilifying carbs but I do try and eat them wisely.

For me, that means pairing them with a good dose of fiber, healthy fats and vegetables. That combination tends to tame a blood sugar spike (and subsequent crash).

And this recipe does all those things.

It’s the smart way to indulge in a bowl of pasta and it just so happens it’s pretty darn delicious too!

Enjoy this gluten-free red lentil pasta recipe with garlickly lemon kale and a vegan walnut nutritional yeast topping for an easy and nutritious dinner.

For more plant based pasta recipes, check out this creamy white bean pasta and this creamy almond butter fall pasta (which can be eaten any time of year!).

I also love this brown rice penne penne with ground lamb. It’s a great recipe with big spring flavors perfect for this time of year!

And my lightened up spaghetti alfredo with broccoli could easily be made with a gluten-free pasta. It’s such a great revamp of a decadent classic.

Gina Matsoukas

Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.