Creamy Lentil Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

• 12 Ounce Penne pasta - 12 oz, Cook until al dente, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
• 1 Cup Dry red lentils - 1 cup, Rinse before adding to the sauce.
• 1 Jar Vegan marinara sauce - 1 jar (24 oz)
• 1 Can Canned diced tomatoes, undrained - 1 can (14.5 oz), Use tomatoes with their juices.
• 5 Ounce Baby spinach - 5 oz
• 1.5 Cup Water - 1 1/2 cups
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
• 1 Count Yellow onion, finely diced - 1 medium, finely diced
• 2 Count Garlic, minced - 2 cloves, minced
• 1 Teaspoon Italian seasoning - 1 teaspoon
• 0.5 Teaspoon Fine salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Instructions

1. Boil water and rinse lentils

   1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Rinse the red lentils in a fine-mesh sieve.

2. Sauté onion

   2. Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.

3. Bloom aromatics

   3. Add garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook for 30 seconds.

4. Start the sauce

   4. Stir in red lentils, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes with juices, water, and salt. Bring to a simmer.

5. Simmer until creamy

   5. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very tender and the sauce looks creamy.

6. Cook and drain pasta

   6. While the sauce simmers, cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.

7. Wilt spinach

   7. Stir baby spinach into the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes, until wilted.

8. Combine pasta and sauce

   8. Add drained penne to the sauce and stir to coat. Stir in a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.