Hearty pasta and lentil dish. Sure to warm you down to your toes! Serve with Parmesan and crusty bread.
This is one of my favorite staples. I make large batches all the time and freeze leftovers in lunch sized portions to take to work. Sometimes I add mushrooms or other vegetables lying around. I recommend defrosting the spinach in the microwave and then drain it before adding it to the pot (the directions are a little ambiguous). I always have additional chicken broth on hand unless it comes out too dry. It's also good with whole wheat pasta.
Read MoreThis is one of my favorite staples. I make large batches all the time and freeze leftovers in lunch sized portions to take to work. Sometimes I add mushrooms or other vegetables lying around. I recommend defrosting the spinach in the microwave and then drain it before adding it to the pot (the directions are a little ambiguous). I always have additional chicken broth on hand unless it comes out too dry. It's also good with whole wheat pasta.
I didn't know what to expect with this recipe, but it was incredible!! I'll definitely make this over and over again. I used a red onion, which was good and added extra garlic as I do in everything... also lots of crushed red pepper. Oh, and I used macaroni pasta... very, very yummy!!!!
I really like this recipe and have made it a couple of times. It is extremely easy and quick so if you need something for the family you can whip it up. I usually do not use the ditalini- it really comes out fine with any kind of pasta.
Yum! If 2 out of 3 kids gave it a big thumbs up, we are definitely adding it to the rotation! I love it that no one had a clue about the lentils (tiny red ones cook up unrecognizable) and the spinach (they thought it was "herbs"). The only changes I made were to use just lentils instead of the soup, and half a jar of pasta sauce + one chopped tomato, and a bigger pasta shape (it's all I had on hand). Add your own spices and you've got a big hit!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Few things I changed, I used a large can 29oz I think, of diced tomatoes with italian seasonings in them. I also chopped up a fresh tomato and threw that in. I cooked two and a half turkey italian sausages and added those as well. Used shell pasta, as I couldnt find the ditalini.I also used a bag of fresh baby spinach instead of frozen. Eating a big bowl right now! Super easy! Will make again and again!
This recipe was a winner. Quick, healthy and tasty. The only change I was made was to use fresh spinach. Next time I would use whole wheat pasta, just for the health benefits. One point for leftovers...it works better to store the pasta and the lentil mixture separate, then mix together to heat. Otherwise, the pasta becomes too soft the next day.
this recipe is wonderful! it's filling, healthy while still being flavorful! I followed the recipe exactly (even throwing in the frozen block of spinach- which ended up cooking thoroughly). The few modifications I did were: 1) added more red pepper flakes (to make it more spicy) 2) used whole grain rotini instead 3) added a few sprinkles of lemon juice to give the pasta a slight tangy flavor. Overall it was wonderful! Will definitely make it again...and again!
This was a great pasta recipe! My husband and I really enjoyed this easy recipe! I followed the directions except using a really large can of diced tomatoes since that is what I had on hand. I also added the spinach as a frozen block but since it was bothersome to keep pushing out the thawed spinach constantly while stirring I might stick it in the microwave next time. Used rotini pasta and served with the Quick and Easy Cheese Bread recipe from this site. By the way, had leftovers for DAYS! (they tasted good)
This turned out great. I used whole wheat pasta and the texture of that with the thickness of the sauce made this very satisfying. I also used a can of diced tomatoes(all I had on hand) instead of crushed and it didn't change the recipe.
I loved this recipe just the way it was, but my boyfriend said it could use some more tomatoes and some more pepper flakes to kick it up a notch.
Followed recipe exactly - it was quick and delicious. Like another reviewer, I just tossed in a frozen hunk of spinach and it was fine.
mmmmmmmmmmm!!! I love this recipe, and am sure to make it again and again. Quick, easy, healthy, cheap, tasty. it's not often you get that combo. I used lentils, boiled in ham stock instead of lentil soup. I also used fresh red chile peppers instead of flakes. And since I am on a super-strict diet at the moment, I used my trick of stirring in a spoonful of fat free mayonaise instead of the cheese to add a creaminess. Thanks for this recipe!
This was yummy! I like a lot of sauce so I added a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes. I also had some baby spinach in the fridge so I used a little olive oil and wilted it on the stove instead of using frozen spinach. I also added some halved grape tomatoes and bell pepper. Lastly, I added a little extra red pepper and some Italian seasoning. So simple, so healthy, so filling. I will definitely make this again!
This is tasty, but needed far less pasta than called for in the recipe. Maybe half of what's stated would be sufficient.
Added a hot green chillie, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, can of lentils (instead of soup), whole can of crushed italian tomatoes and pesto. Turned out quite good and very quick to make.
This was pretty good. I've been trying different lentil recipes because my husband doesn't care for them but because they're such a healthy food we've been hoping to find a recipe he won't mind as much. He loves pasta so this is a good option to try on occasion. The only thing I did different was to use fresh spinach. I tried some leftover cold with a sprinkle of italian dressing, that was really good.
I made this last night for a group of friends. I chopped fresh tomatoes and used lentils canned in sauce (couldn't find lentil soup). Everyone agreed that it was terrific! I didn't tell them how simple it was to make.
This recipe is so versatile and a great way to get a ton of vegetables! It's great with bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, even sausage. I make it with whole wheat pasta. Thanks, Wendy!
This was really yummy. I added more vegetables to mine and it was so good.
My husband really loves this meal. We like the Progresso canned soup best. I only use 1/2 a package of frozen spinach and whatever pasta is on sale and whole wheat. Its easy enough for me to plan during the week.
This was delicious. My husband definitely wants me to make again. As some readers suggested, I added a little balsamic vinegar, used a 29 oz. can of diced tomatoes with spices, and added a handful of pine nuts. I used medium shells and only used 8 oz. That was plenty. Very good, vegetarian recipe.
Personally, I could take it or leave it. If it were just me I would probably not make it again. However, I still gave it three stars because 1) the rest of my family liked it, 2) it is fairly healthy and 3) it is pretty quick, easy and budget friendly. I made a couple alterations using fresh spinach (which I added along with the pasta) and I used only half the pasta it called for. Thanks for sharing! *EDIT: left overs. I sauteed some fresh broccoli and mushrooms in butter. I added the cold leftovers along with a small amount of chicken broth (maybe 1/4 cup?) and a fresh chopped tomato. Just let it simmer until heated through. Very tasty. :)
This recipe was alright. I guess I didn't find it as fantastic as other reviewers. I felt that it needed something extra, so I added oregano. I used one large fresh tomato, came out fine.
I used a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes instead of the cup and added additonal garlic powder. Excellent dish everyone loved it. I also plan on experimenting next time I make this by adding italian sausage. Thanks for the great recipe!
This has become an all time favorite recipe at our house. Our vegetarian daughter loves it and has gotten her college roommates addicted to it also. the recipe is very tolerant of variations. Sometimes we double the lentil soup, sometimes we use seasoned stewed tomatoes etc. Our daughter has had a hard time finding the ditalini pasta so uses anything "small" that is on sale! We also enjoy it with whole wheat pastas. It is just so adaptable and easy. AND, the left overs are yummy too. Thanks Wendy!!!
This was a very good meal. It was quite filling and tasted rich (not boring or plain). I will definitely make it again some time.
Delicious. Used a 12 oz box of Mueller's whole grain pasta. Great recipe.
I liked the taste of the soup, tomato mixture, etc. before adding the pasta. After adding the recommnended amount of pasta, I found the dish to be somewhat bland. I will make this again, but will double the soup-tomato-spinach mixture and reduce the amount of pasta. I will also use whole wheat macaroni or some other whole wheat pasta. My 2-year old loved it.
I doubled the tomatoes. It came out pretty bland and boring, and it made a lot. I partially rescued it by adding a bunch of shredded cheese, but I am not really looking forward to the leftovers and will not make this again.
I really liked this, but my husband didn't. Just a matter of taste, I guess. It's a very easy, very healthy meal, and it makes a lot! I found the pasta to be a little dry - next time I will just use less pasta to stretch the sauce. Also, for those having trouble ditalini, it's also called salad macaroni.
I thought this was okay the first night, but I added more garlic powder and crushed red pepper to the leftovers the next day, and it was fantastic. Thanks for a good vegetarian recipe!
Delicious! I used macaroni pasta and fresh spinach, I also added garbanzo beans. It was so delicious! Definitely making this again
Since my husband must have meat in every meal, I also add ground turkey to this dish. This is one of the things he actually asks me to make.
This was ok, but not great. It seemed to be missing some sort of spice. If I make it again I'll add spicy sausage.
this was really good. my partner doesn't really care for lentils but she liked this dish.
What a wonderful recipe! I made this with leftover wheat spaghetti pasta that was precooked. It turned out great! My husband liked it, and he's a meat and potatoes kind of guy! I will make this again, without a doubt!
This is truly delicious. I also used a whole can of stewed tomatos, and made it with small shells as I have no idea what ditalini pasta might be. I didn't use all of the 16 oz. of pasta I had cooked, just enough so that the sauce was saturated. It still made a lot of food. Will definitely make this again!
Delicious and easy to make! I increased the spices a bit, and used a different pasta (the store didn't carry ditalini). I will definitely make this again.
This recipe was great. I wasnt so sure when I was making it that my son would eat it. He loved it, then remarked that I managed to get a lot of veggies in one meal. I did at a soup can of water because it was too thick.
This was "good," but not "great." It is a good way to sneak in lentils, as you really don't taste them all that much in this dish- the tomatoes and the spinach really stand out more. I will probably make this again because it is really easy, fairly healthful (depending on the canned soup you use), and tasty.
This was really good! I never thought my husband and son would like a dish made with lentils, spinach, and tomatoes, but they loved it! This dish is delicious, filling, and all the ingredients are things I always have on hand. I think this will be my go-to meal for nights when I forget to thaw something for dinner.
I have made this recipe with fresh spinach and it turned out lovely. Instead of ditalini pasta, I've added wholewheat spagetti. It was delicious. Since my husband always complains when I don't serve any meat for dinner, I served the pasta as sidedish and served it together with Cowboy Chicken. The combination of fresh and spicy was superb.
Yummmm, This was easy to make and it's packed with protein and hearty to boot. I only added half the box of pasta and next time will add more crushed tomatoes for the pasta soaked up a lot of the liquid....Loved it!!!
very good,East and fast!!It tasted like pasta fagioli. I also added two more cups of tomatoe sauce,more garlic, more cheese.I used sall shells. Next time I will double the sauce. Thanks
This recipe was so easy and very delicious. I might add more lentil soup and tomatoes next time, but otherwise LOVED it!
Mmmm! I had to rate this as soon as we were done with dinner. I used Progresso soup (couldn't find Amy's organic), fresh spinach, 3/4 box of ditalini pasta. I used 1-15 oz can of crushed tomatoes and 1 can of diced tomatoes, and added a dash of red wine vinegar. I can't get over how good this was, and so easy! I made it with parmesan chicken, but the pasta was filling in of itself. And it made a lot! Next time I'll cut the recipe in half, since I'm not sure how this will freeze. Thanks for a great recipe!
This was great! I used Amy's Organic Lentil Soup, added a whole can of diced tomatoes, fresh spinach and used small pasta shells. I love it!! Super fast, easy, healthy and tasty!
Super quick and easy to make. Lots of flavours and you could definitely play around with adding more or different veggies (red or green peppers, peas, mushrooms). It's also nice that it's vegan if you omit the parmesan cheese. I found the final product lacking a bit in protein so I doubled up on the lentils.
This is a great fast and healthy recipe. It's nothing gourmet, but it's filling and tasty and sort of comforting. The only thing I did differently was to use a whole can of diced tomatoes instead of just 1 cup and I used whole wheat orzo for the pasta. I did defrost and drain my spinach before adding it but I might try adding it frozen next time. Definitely give this one a try. It's a keeper!
This was quite quick and easy. I used 5 cloves of garlic, two small onions, fresh spinach added just after the onions and garlic, the entire can of diced instead of crushed tomatoes, omitted the salt and was liberal with the parm. Next time I will do all of that the same and also reduce the amount of pasta. I might also add some mushrooms or other vegetables; this seems like a good dish to throw everything in with. I think it would be awesome with some boca meat crumbles. Also, I let the sauce and pasta sit together for the recommended time, but wouldn't worry about that if in a hurry. I'll likely be making this again.
It's a very good side dish...my fiancee doesn't like tomatoes, which made it a little dry and bland. I served it to a vegetarian friend of mine who loved it. The red pepper flakes do help with the flavor.
My husband and I just didn't love this. It was edible, but neither of us wanted seconds and we didn't want to keep the leftovers (and we both normally love leftovers). It was just blah. I had high hopes because we like both lentils and pasta.
The sauce smelled great and overall it's a good dish. But it's a bit on the bland side, even after I put a lot more than a pinch of pepper flakes and mixed in some Puerto Rican sofrito I had on hand. If I make this again, I'll probably figure out some way to give it a bit more oomph. Nice and light, though, and the idea to make a pasta sauce out of lentil soup is a clever one.
This was really good-very tasty, wholesome and healthy too! I definitely think that the results will vary based on the lentil soup that is used. I used Amy's Organic Lentil Soup. Followed everything else almost exactly except only used 1/2 of a box of spinach (didn't want the spinach to be overpowering). I also didn't let it sit for 20 minutes, just stirred the pasta (fusilli) into the sauce and served topped with parmesan. It was great, quick and easy!
Made this again, really works for a quick afterwork meal or lunch// 2/12/2009 This was a great healthy quick meal
It was ok, but I wouldn't make it again. I was surprised because I love all of the ingredients! My husband liked it, but he lies quite a bit to keep from hurting my feelings... :)
I think this is a good recipe. I thought it would have more flavor than it did. I will make again, and try it using feta as a topping.
This recipe was easy to make and tasted great. I took some suggestions from other reviews such as adding 2 1/2 links of Italiain sausage, using fresh spinach and instead of the 1 cup tomatoes I used a 29oz. diced tomatoes with Italiain seasoning. I used whole wheat "veggie radiatore" pasta. The flavoe was great~ The hubby enjoyed as well.
This was okay, but I think we could tweak it to make it great. We added a lot more spices - oregano, red pepper flakes, etc. Also, we plan on adding diced tomatoes and more of the crushed tomatoes next time.
I was VERY skeptical of this recipe, but it turned out to be really good. I used whole wheat macaroni but kept everything else the same. Thanks for the interesting recipe! Tasty!
This is really yummy! Low fat, high fiber, great taste...hits all the important points! I only had Ronzoni ziti pasta, but the family loved it!
This was ok. If I make it again, I will use more tomatoes and less spinach. Maybe add some other veggies too.
I was really excited to try this, but i kept adding so many things to enhance the flavor. Maybe the lentil soup I used was too bland? I added chicken broth, balsamic vinegar and cumin. The end result was decent, but everyone continued to doctor their individual bowls before eating.
I really liked this dish. I also added some basil, oregano, and chicken broth to the lentil mixture. Thanks for the recipe!
Really enjoyed it. I used 1 box of crushed tomatoes (Cirio the 13.76 oz box). The frozen spinach all I had was whole leaf but I just microwaved it about 3-4 minutes and chopped it up. I cooked whole box of ditalini but didn’t use it all. Will make again
This is good comfort food that you don't have to feel guilty about eating. I use whatever pasta I have on hand. I use Amy's lentil soup, and I add a little bit of extra spice with some crushed red peppers. I love this!
Yum! I omitted the parmesan and sprinkled on pinion nuts instead. This dish was very tasty and easy to make too.
This smelled awesome. Super easy to throw together. My husband and kids loved it. I thought it was good, just a bit bland. I will likely make it again as it's super easy; just need to spice it up a bit more. I followed the recipe; used shell pasta, as that's what I had on hand.
I thought this was very bland and was very disappointed. I thought if I used enough spices it would've been better - but I'm not sure a whole bottle of spices would help. I used the 29oz can of crushed tomatos, etc. whatever other reviews have said and still didn't taste good.
I loved this recipe. It was easy, quick and really tasty just as written. I used Coco Pazzo Tuscan Lentil Soup. I've made it with ditalini and whole grain elbows. I liked the ditalini better but I am trying to stick with whole grain products. Anyone know of a whole grain ditalini?
I carefully followed the recipe and this came out really bland. Way too much pasta, too little lentils, and too little flavor. Even after adding some more tomatoes in, and some salt, it was blah. I will not be making this again.
I did not like this recipe at all. It was very bland, even after adding more garlic and red pepper flakes. The cheese helped a little but I still ended uo throwing it away. It definetely needs something to add flavor, I will not be making this again.
Good, but nothing special. I thought it came out a little dry, so I added some diced tomatoes in juice.
This was amazingly good. Like other reviewers, I used more than a cup (probably 2 or 2 1/2) of crushed tomatoes. I also only had a small can of lentil soup, so I added some canned lentils too. This will most surely make my rotations.
Just made this tonight - it was great! Used fresh spinach instead, and it was very yummy. Makes a lot, so definitely have leftovers! I will make this again for sure!
This was even better the day after. I added about 4 or 5 tablespoons of parmasean cheese to give it more flavor and a creamier texture
This was actually quite good. The only change I made was in the pasta, I used whole wheat spaghetti. I may have thrown in an extra pinch of crushed red pepper. I wish I could find a low sodium lentil soup. The lentils are really quite bland beans so it requires whatever spices or flavorings in the soup and the additional spices in the recipe. This has absolutely everything in it, whole grain, vegetables, protien, fiber and extremely low fat. I thought the sprinkling of parm cheese really did the trick. It's even better as leftovers for lunch and it does make a lot. The flavors all blend more overnight. Will do again!
Needs a little doctoring in the spice department, but overall tasty and filling. I used one 14.5oz can of tomatoes - that seemed to work well. I used Progresso lentil soup - perhaps a different brand would lend more flavor?
This is one of my favorite recipes! My boyfriend doesn't like tomatoes, but leaving them out doesn't take anything away from the recipe (though it does taste different and I prefer it with them). Without the tomatoes, I just added an extra cup of soup to keep the liquid ratio right.
This one has it all: it's quick, easy to prepare, nutritious, fat-free, and it makes a ton of food for plenty of leftovers. Still, I think it could benefit from another bit of flavor. We put a little bit of aged balsamic vinegar to add a sour/sweet note; feta cheese might complement it well in a completely different, but equally good way.
quick, easy, healthy, and tasty.. exactly what everyone needs on those busy days when you think you just don't have time to cook dinner.
This was very good. To cut down on the sodium from the soup, I drained a lot of the liquid off. Then, I replaced it with half tomato sauce and half v8 juice. This may have given it more tomato flavor than the original recipe. I also didn't have frozen spinach so I used about 2 cups of fresh. Very healthy, filling, and easy to make.
This was very good. I only used about 10 oz of pasta, and it was whole wheat rotini. I can see where people might think this is bland, but that is easy to fix. I added 1/2 - 1 tsp of italian seasoning and I used 15 oz of crushed tomatoes instead of just a cup. The sauce is really thick and I think maybe the next time, I will not add the pasta to the sauce but instead, I will put the sauce on top of the pasta that is on the plate. I also didn't let it sit for 20 mins, I just served it right away. Great, healthy pasta meal, and it was quick to make. I will definitely make it again!
this got tons of good reviews so I tried it. I just didn't really like it. The taste was kind of blah. We had tons of leftovers - more than we wanted.
