Lentils with Homemade Vegan Pasta

Preparation

In a medium pot, start to brown the onions, stirring them a little. Add ½ cup of water to deglaze the pan and help the onions brown. Stir in the water and continue to sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds to release their sugars.

Add the rinsed lentils, vegetable stock (or reconstituted vegetable stock cubes) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer lentils until tender, about 40 minutes. Check the lentils several times and add more water or broth if they become dry and still not cooked.

While the lentils simmer, prepare the pasta by combining the flour and salt in a small mixing bowl.

Add ½ cup of water and stir to moisten the flour and begin to form a dough. Using your hand, start kneading the dough a little, adding more water if needed until you have a soft, somewhat shaggy dough that holds together enough to roll out flat.

Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before you start cutting the noodles. (Now is a good time to make a quick side salad or chop cilantro.)

To make the pasta, lightly flour a flat surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough flat (about ¼ inch thick). Cut the dough into strips approximately 1 x 4 inches. Expect a few odd sizes, it won’t matter once you add them to the lenses.

When the lentils are tender, add about a quarter of the pasta. Gently stir in and repeat the process until you have all the pasta in the pot. Check that you have enough water to moisten the pasta. You can add another cup of water or broth if you’re worried the pasta won’t cook. You don’t need much here and if you add too much it won’t matter as you will end up with extra sauce.

When the pasta is tender (about 4-5 minutes), stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve immediately with additional cilantro as a garnish if desired.