RED LENTIL PASTA WITH AUBERGINE & RED PEPPER SAUCE (GLUTEN FREE, CANDIDA FRIENDLY, VEGAN)

Pasta must be one of my favourite ‘ready in a jiffy’ meals which I always resort to when I’m short of time or not quite in the mood for experimenting in the kitchen. I’d go as far as saying that pasta is my number one cupboard ingredient, especially as everyone in our family loves this staple Italian ingredient.

Before I started my anti-candida diet in October 2016, I would cook a lot of wholemeal pasta but since I had to cut out gluten from my diet, I had to switch to gluten free varieties. I was astounded to have found so many wheat pasta alternatives readily available in supermarkets – lentil, chickpea, brown rice, black bean, peas pasta… So there’s no need to deprive yourself of the pasta love after all!

The red lentil pasta I used in this recipe is made solely from organic red lentils and water, which makes it a great high in protein and fibre option that your sore post-workout muscles will love (I know mine definitely do). The pasta itself only takes 6-8 minutes to cook. The only part of this meal which takes a bit of time is roasting the vegetables for the pasta sauce.

I tend to make a big batch of sauce in advance and keep it in the freezer. I either defrost it in the microwave just before cooking the pasta or take it out of the freezer the day before and let it thaw in the fridge overnight.

You can garnish this pasta bowl, which by the way can be eaten hot or cold, with anything you like – let your imagination run as wild as it dares. I used vine tomatoes for some extra juice, avocado for healthy fats and toasted pine nuts for an added crunch.

Enjoy the recipe and thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog.

Healthfully yours,

Tania x

RED LENTIL PASTA WITH AUBERGINE & RED PEPPER SAUCE (GLUTEN FREE, CANDIDA FRIENDLY, VEGAN)

Tania Pilcher | Fit Foodie Nutter

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

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Pasta ingredients:

• Red lentil pasta, 2 portions
• 1 tsp olive
• Salt to taste

Aubergine & red pepper sauce ingredients:

• 1 medium size aubergine, roughly diced
• 1 red bell pepper, roughly diced
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 50g sun dried tomatoes (around 5-6 pieces)
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 3 sprigs of fresh basil
• Salt & pepper to taste

For garnish:

• 3-4 cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 avocado
• A sprinkle of pine nuts
• A sprinkle of black sesame seeds

Instructions

 

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• 2. Place the diced aubergine, red pepper and onion into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika, salt & pepper and mix well.
  
• 3. Transfer the vegetables onto the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until slightly brown.
  
• 4. Whilst the vegetables are roasting, cook pasta according to the packet instructions. When cooked, rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.
  
• 5. Remove the vegetables from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.
  
• 6. Transfer the roasted vegetables into a food processor. Add sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, fresh basil and blend until the sauce resembles smooth consistency. If needed, add more salt & pepper to adjust to your taste.
  
• 7. If you prefer this pasta dish cold, just transfer cooked pasta into a bowl, add the desired amount of sauce and mix well. If you decide to go for a hot option, reheat the pasta in a pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil, add the sauce and cook for a few minutes until piping hot.
  
• 8. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, avocado, more pine nuts, fresh basil and black sesame seeds.

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @Fit.Foodie.Nutter and #fitfoodienutter