Tomato & lentil pasta bake
The batch-cook that sorts a grey week — chuck it together on Sunday, and it's two dinners and a lunch already handled. The cheesy top is non-negotiable.
Red lentils disappear into the tomato sauce and make it taste richer than it is — cheap protein doing quiet work. Leftovers reheat beautifully.
Ingredients
- 300g pasta shapes (penne or fusilli)
- 1 onion, chopped · 2 garlic cloves
- 120g red lentils, rinsed
- 2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 500ml veg stock · 1 tsp oregano
- 150g cheddar, grated · handful of breadcrumbs (optional)
Method
- Oven to 200°C fan. Cook the pasta 2 minutes short of the packet time — it finishes in the oven. Meanwhile soften the onion and garlic in a little oil.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, stock and oregano; simmer 15 minutes until the lentils are soft and the sauce has thickened. Season well.
- Toss the pasta through the sauce, tip into a baking dish, cover with cheese (and breadcrumbs if you like crunch) and bake 20–25 minutes until golden and bubbling at the edges.
Kit for this recipe
A deep baking dish — Anchor Hocking 3qt, £9.99holds a full batch without bubbling over
A box grater — £4.99 at Lakelandfresh-grated cheddar melts properly — the bags don't
Clip-lock lunch boxes — set of 3, £7 at Dunelmthis is built for tomorrow's lunch
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