Red Lentil Penne – Another Wheat Pasta Substitute

You remember our Black Bean Pasta, I am certain – it’s difficult to forget. Today I’ll show another non-wheat pasta based on the same family of plants. It’s Red Lentil Penne:

Beautiful, isn’t it? Its nutritional profile is a bit different from a black bean, with somewhat higher carbohydrates content, but the protein and fiber are higher as well:

Also, as far as ingredients go, I can’t resist this incredibly complicated multi-component list:

Cooking it is just as complicated multi-step endeavor, intended only for sophisticated skillful chefs. I mean, you need to bring a lot of water to a boil, desirably with some salt, add your penne in and simmer it for 6 minutes stirring occasionally. Then, as if that was not exhausting enough, you need to drain it.

I could end the post on that – once you have your pasta, add whatever you like. Olive oil, garlic, herbs, fish, or meat – what is pasta not good with, really? I, however, will add another twist, just to make it more intriguingly-appetizing. We will combine this pasta with mussels in garlic butter.

You’ll need 2 pounds fresh mussels, de-bearded; 6 Tbsp butter, 4 large garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 3 Tbsp parsley.

Place mussels in a pot, cover it and put on a high heat; cook for 5-6 minutes shaking occasionally. Discard those that do not open.

Transfer them to a bowl and cover with foil.

Add butter to the liquid remained in the pot and melt it. Add chopped garlic and sauté for about 3 min. Add parsley and lemon juice.

Bring to a boil while stirring.

Place the mussels over pasta and drizzle the mix over the dish, so it mostly falls on the mussels but soaks pasta under them as well.

Enjoy!

Watch video:

Red Lentil Penne with Butter Garlic Mussels

Servings: 2     Time: 20 min            Download PDF 

• Red Lentil Penne – 170g
• Mussels, de-bearded – 2 pounds
• Butter – 6 Tbsp
• Garlic, chopped – 4 large cloves
• Lemon juice – 2 Tbsp
• Parsley, fresh or dried – 3 Tbsp
• Salt, pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Boil 2 liters of water and add penne with pinch of salt
2. Simmer for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally
3. Drain and set aside
4. Place mussels in a pot, cover it and cook on high heat for 5-6 minutes shaking occasionally.
5. Transfer mussels in a bowl. Discard those that do not open. Cover with foil.
6. Add butter to the liquid remained in the pot and melt it.
7. Add chopped garlic and sauté for about 3 min.
8. Add parsley and lemon juice.
9. Bring to boil while stirring.
10. Place the mussels over pasta.
11. Drizzle the butter over the dish, soaking the mussels and pasta.

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