There is nothing better than a pasta that has it all – salty from anchovy and bacon, sweet from cooked down onions, slightly acidic from tomatoes – with a little hit of chilli. This recipe is packed with gut and hormone friendly fibre from veggies and lentils, and gets even better eaten as leftovers.

This recipe uses mostly pantry and kitchen staples, and is super easy to change up to suit what you have on hand. It makes 10 serves of sauce, so plenty to freeze for later on.

CHANGE IT UP

Swap eggplant for 2 cups of any chopped vegetables – mushrooms and zucchini would also be delicious.

Double the canned lentils to make it a heftier sauce, more like a vegetarian bolognese. This could then be used as a filling for baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, as a nachos topping, or for lentil shepherds pie.

To make this vegetarian/vegan, omit the anchovies and bacon (and the cheese for vegans).

Print Recipe

Eggplant & Lentil Rigatoni

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 2 bacon rashers (finely chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 anchovy fillets (minced)
• 1/4 tsp chilli flakes (OR to taste)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 eggplant (cut into 1cm cubes)
• 700 ml passata + handful of cherry tomatoes halved (OR 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes)
• 3 cubes frozen spinach (OR 30g fresh spinach finely shredded)
• 1 cup water
• 400 gram can of brown lentils (drained)
• rigatoni (cooked to serve)
• basil (to serve)
• ricotta (to serve)
• parmesan/pecorino (to serve)

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion (chopped) 2 bacon rashers (finely chopped) 4 garlic cloves (chopped) 2 anchovy fillets (minced) 1/4 tsp chilli flakes (OR to taste) 1 tsp dried oregano 1 eggplant (cut into 1cm cubes) 700 ml passata + handful of cherry tomatoes halved (OR 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes) 3 cubes frozen spinach (OR 30g fresh spinach finely shredded) 1 cup water 400 gram can of brown lentils (drained) rigatoni (cooked to serve) basil (to serve) ricotta (to serve) parmesan/pecorino (to serve)

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in large frying pan over med-high heat, cook bacon and onion, until onion is translucent.
2. Add garlic, anchovy, chilli & oregano. Cook, stirring until anchovy disappears, about 1 min.
3. Add eggplant, stirring until it starts to soften.
4. Add passata/tomatoes & water. Heat until simmering then reduce to low heat, cook for 10 minutes until thickened slightly, then add lentils.
5. Serve with rigatoni, fresh basil, a spoonful of ricotta & finely shaved parmesan.

Recipe Notes

This recipe was created by Leah Stjernqvist from Balance Nutrition. Leah is an Accredited Practising Dietitian with more than five years' private practice experience. Her passion for food and cooking has shown her the positive impact food can have on everyday life, which is why each recipe is created with simplicity and balance in mind.

Discover more recipes and nutrition advice on Leah's website and Instagram.