25 Minute Weeknight Pasta. Ziti with Chipotle Lentil Tomato Sauce. Smoky Chipotle and lentils in the pasta sauce make it a flavorful and filling meal. Vegan Soyfree Recipe. Easily glutenfree with GF pasta.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Pasta
  • Cuisine: fusion, Gluten-free, Pasta, Vegan

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups uncooked pasta like Ziti or Penne
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup red onion (chopped small (1/4-1/2 inch))
  • 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrot (chopped small)
  • 1/2 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 tsp dry basil (or 1 Tbsp packed chopped fresh basil)
  • 2 large juicy tomatoes pureed (about 1.5 cups)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
  • 1 two inch chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce (chopped or pureed with the tomatoes (remove the seeds to reduce heat if needed), or use 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder)
  • 1/3 cup red/pink lentils (washed and drained)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp pepper flakes or cayenne or to taste (feel free to omit)
  • a generous dash of black pepper
  • nutritional yeast or vegan parm and extra virgin olive oil for garnish

Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to instructions on the box.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for 4 minutes or until translucent.
  3. Add the carrots and herbs and mix well. At this point you can also add in veggies such as zucchini or thinly sliced mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.
  4. Add the tomatoe puree and chopped chipotle pepper and cook for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Add 1 tbsp tomato paste and a touch of sweetener for deeper flavor.
  5. Wash, drain lentils and add to the pan. Add water and Cook partially covered for 16 to 18 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Add salt, vinegar and peppers and mix in. Taste and adjust salt and heat. Cook a few minutes longer, uncovered, if the sauce is too thin. Reduce heat to low-medium.
  6. Add pasta to the sauce. Cook covered at low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes. let sit for another 2 minutes before serving. Sprinkle nutritional yeast or vegan parm and extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.