Lentil, Kale, and Red Onion Vegan Pasta Dish

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
• ¾ cup dry lentils
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces vegan sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices (Optional)
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 (12 ounce) package rotini pasta
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (Optional)

Step 1

Bring the vegetable broth, lentils, salt, and a bay leaf to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and let it simmer until the lentils are tender—this usually takes about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and add a little more broth if it starts to dry out. When the lentils are done, fish out and toss the bay leaf.

Step 2

While the lentils are cooking, heat up the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped red onion, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, and give everything a quick stir. After about a minute, add the vegan sausage and lower the heat to medium-low. Let it all cook together until the onion softens, which should take around 10 minutes.

Step 3

At the same time, bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in the kale and rotini pasta at the same time, and cook until the pasta is just tender—about 8 minutes. Before draining, scoop out some of the pasta water and set it aside.

Step 4

Drain the pasta and kale, then put them back in the pot. Stir in the lentils and the onion mixture, mixing everything well. If the dish feels a little dry, add some of the reserved pasta water to get it to the consistency you like. Finish it off with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast before serving.