Like pretty much all people (who are honest with themselves), I love pasta. I also love food on sale and experimenting in the kitchen – I am a graduate student in food science and nutrition, after all. So when I saw a box of lentil pasta on sale…sold. Not only was it delicious, but it packed a lot of fiber and protein, keeping me happily full afterwards.

Eggy Lentil Pasta

Recipe by Legume LadyCourse: MealsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

A pasta dish that comes together quickly using mainly pantry staples and is packed with protein and fiber! The sauce is sort of like scrambled eggs, which my husband, some of my friends, and I really love. If that sounds weird, try this Creamy Chickpea Pasta (which you can make lentil pasta if you prefer).

Ingredients

Lentil pasta – I used an 8.8 oz. (250 g) package of red lentil rotini
1 onion
1-several cloves of garlic, minced, to taste
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1 bunch of green onions (~6 green onions)
3 eggs
1-2 cups pasta water
*Make sure to reserve your pasta water when the pasta is done cooking.
1 cup (~125 g) green peas – I used frozen, but drained canned peas should work, too
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red chili flakes, to taste (optional)
Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)

Directions

Set a pot of water to boil. Salt the pasta water, cooking lentil pasta according to package instructions.
Thinly slice the onion. Sauté it in a large pan with the olive oil, a pinch of salt, and red chili flakes over medium heat.
While sautéing the onion, mince the garlic and slice the green onions, separating the white and green parts. If desired, set aside some green slices to later top the finished pasta. You can add the garlic while sautéing the onion, but this is your call! The earlier you add the garlic – as in, the longer it cooks – the more mellow the garlic flavor. I like strong garlicky flavors, so I usually add garlic towards the end, when the pasta dish is almost done.
After the onion has turned translucent or started to turn slightly golden in color (or even feel free to go towards caramelization, if that is what your pasta-loving heart desires), add the green peas and stir. Continue cooking. If your pan is too dry/things look like they may burn to the bottom of the pan, lower the heat and add a little more olive oil (or even a very small amount of water) if necessary.
In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs with a pinch of salt.
While doing all of this, keep an eye on how your lentil pasta is coming along. When it is done, drain it over a container to catch the pasta water! You will be adding some of this to back to your pasta dish.
Once your reserved pasta water is ready, add the pasta and the white parts of the green onion to the pan with the onion and green peas and stir, cooking for 1-2 minutes. Now could also be a good time to add the minced garlic if you have not yet done so.
Start by adding about 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to the pan. Then, add in the green parts of the onion and eggs and stir quickly, continuing to stir for a couple minutes. The eggs and pasta water will form a sort of sauce, almost scrambled egg-like. If it is looking too dry, add more of your reserved pasta water (I added about 1.5 cups total).
After the eggs have cooked, taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Serve pasta, topping with freshly cracked black pepper, any reserved slices of green onion, and parmesan cheese if using.

Notes

You could make this with regular pasta or other pulse-based pastas. If your pasta package size is different, adjust other ingredient amounts as you see fit to make the pasta of your dreams.
Sautéing thin slices of garlic with the onion would also work well.
If you don’t have green peas, don’t worry about it! Add another vegetable you have on hand that sounds good, or just omit. This dish will also survive even if you don’t have green onions. Life is about being flexible, right?