Tomato & lentil pasta bake with olives

Warming, tasty and nutritious, this easy lentil pasta bake makes a simple but substantial vegetarian dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

“Mummy, mummy, put this on your blog!”

So spake my daughter Kipper, after trying this deliciously hearty lentil pasta bake. And who was I to argue?!

Taken aback

I must admit, I was a little surprised by her reaction. I didn’t expect her to be so taken with a dish of lightly spiced, tomato and lentil pasta. I’d made this as a prepare-ahead dinner and my focus had largely been on ease and nutrition, rather than on making a super-tasty, massively appealing dish. Apparently though, you can have both. What luck!

Lentil pasta bake – with OLIVES!

The trick was putting olives and garlic into the sauce. Kipper LOVES olives, and is also quite keen on garlic. I expect these things helped her to overlook the fact that she’s not a big fan of lentils, and won’t usually eat tomatoes at all unless they’re heavily disguised. The olives, garlic and seasoning ensured this lentil pasta bake was deeply flavoursome, rich and savoury – delicious! 

Rich and warming

It’s fair to say that the grown ups were also won over. I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, and even DH ate a big portion of yummy lentil pasta bake. The sauce is very tasty and the whole dish warms you up from the inside. Just what’s required at the moment. Be extra-generous with the cheese if you want to make it really melty and indulgent.

Lentil pasta bake – a make ahead dinner

One of the things I love about pasta bake is that you can make them ahead of time, and just bake when you’re ready to it.

This tomato and lentil pasta bake was made in advance and then left in the oven with the timer set, so we returned home to a hot, delicious, dinner. The house smelled amazing when we opened the front door – I love it when that happens.

Lentil pasta bake ingredients

Another distinct advantage is that this delicious lentil pasta bake is made almost entirely with store cupboard staples like pasta and tinned tomatoes, plus things I always have in the house, like onions and olives. Chances are, you’ll have everything you need to make this delicious dinner without any special planning! To make this easy pasta bake you will need:

• Pasta – can’t make a pasta bake without it!
• Onion and garlic – for a deeply savoury flavour
• Tinned chopped tomatoes
• Tomato puree – to add richness to the sauce
• Olive oil
• Crushed chilli – optional but even a tiny bit adds flavour
• Olives – what turns this from ordinary to extraordinary!
• Salt and pepper – to season
• Grated cheese for the top – add extra if you want it super oozy and melty
• Green lentils – to add texture, flavour, plant-based protein and dietary fibre!

I used dried lentils and cooked them separately before making the rest of the bake. However you could just as easily use ready-prepared tinned or frozen lentils to shorten the preparation time. I usually have a tin of lentils lurking in the pantry for just such an occasion.

Nutritional benefits of lentils

As well as being an excellent source of plant protein, lentils are also an inexpensive source of numerous vitamins and minerals. They contain plenty of folic acid, as well as iron and B vitamins, which can sometimes be lacking in a vegetarian diet. Lentils also contain the important minerals potassium, zinc and manganese. 

Lentils are naturally low in fat, and are a good source of dietary fibre, which helps to maintain gut health.

We ate three generous portions of tomato and lentil pasta bake for dinner, and I had the leftovers for lunch next day. Serves 4.

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📖 Recipe

Lentil pasta bake with tomatoes, garlic and olives

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Warming, tasty and nutritious, this easy lentil pasta bake is a simple but substantial vegetarian dinner.

4.78 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vegetarian

Servings 4

Calories 423 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 75 g small green lentils (raw – see notes)
• 1 small onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 15 pitted black olives, sliced
• ¼ teaspoon crushed chilli
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 175-200 g short pasta
• 65 g grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

 

• 75 g (0.4 cups) small green lentils (raw – see notes)
  Rinse the lentils. Place in a saucepan and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 45 minutes. Drain.
• 1 small onion, 4 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp olive oil
  While the lentils are cooking, make the tomato sauce. Peel and slice the onion. Peel and crush the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften.
• 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 15 pitted black olives, sliced, ¼ tsp crushed chilli, Salt and pepper to taste
  Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, olives and chilli to the pan. Mix well, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 175-200 g (6-7 oz) short pasta
  Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water according to the directions on the packet. Drain.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• 65 g (⅔ cups) grated cheddar cheese
  Combine the cooked lentils, tomato sauce, and cooked pasta, and mix well. Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden. Serve at once.

Notes

You can substitute 200g (about 7 oz) of pre-cooked green lentils for the dried lentils. Simply add to the sauce with the pasta when you assemble the bake.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Lentil pasta bake with tomatoes, garlic and olives

Amount per Serving

Calories

423

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

18

g

28

%

Saturated Fat

 

5

g

31

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

9

g

Cholesterol

 

16

mg

5

%

Sodium

 

316

mg

14

%

Potassium

 

536

mg

15

%

Carbohydrates

 

52

g

17

%

Fiber

 

9

g

38

%

Sugar

 

5

g

6

%

Protein

 

16

g

32

%

Vitamin A

 

360

IU

7

%

Vitamin C

 

13

mg

16

%

Calcium

 

178

mg

18

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword cheese, lentils, pasta, tomato

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