I make marinara sauce at least once a week because Jay is nuts about it. And as much as I love it and appreciate its healthfulness, I realized that I wouldn’t mind adding some extra nutrition to it, especially in the form of some healthy protein and fiber. Ergo, my French Lentil Marinara Sauce. I have at any time at least a dozen types of lentils and beans in my pantry, including the many types used in Indian cuisine. French lentils are also always on hand because I love their unique flavor, which needs very little embellishment to transform into utter deliciousness. And those are what I use in this lentil marinara. I can’t club this under the “30 minutes or under” group simply because the lentils require about 20-30 minutes to tenderize, but a lot of your time making this sauce is hands-free. So there is no reason why you cannot multi-task thoughtfully while making this sauce, and get dinner on the table in under 45 minutes. There are just five ingredients in this sauce: lentils, tomatoes, garlic, oregano (or basil), and red pepper, and I am willing to bet you have all, or most of these, in your kitchen already. Vegetable stock is nice in this recipe for more flavor, but you can sub it with water, at a pinch. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
Try it! With more than 7 grams of protein and nearly 9 grams of fiber in each serving, you really can’t afford not to. 🙂
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