Red Lentil Fusilli with Bacon, Butternut Squash, and Spinach

This post was created in partnership with Pasta Lensi. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me creative in my tiny kitchen!

Vibrant pasta made from red lentils brings a boost of protein and fiber to this scrumptious, salty-sweet bowl of comfort food.

A few months ago, I went to a rooftop pasta party in NYC to celebrate the launch of a line of single ingredient pastas from Pasta Lensi.

I was really intrigued by the idea – dried legumes that are ground and mixed with water to form lower carb, higher protein and fiber versions of some of my favorite pasta shapes.

Plus, it was a rooftop.pasta.party. How could I refuse?

There are currently 4 varieties: Chickpea Casarecce, Red Lentil Fusilli, Black Bean Sedani, and Yellow Lentil Penne Rigate. Since these pastas are made from an ingredient that has more flavor than standard pasta, you can treat it as an ingredient instead of a blank canvas.

At the dinner party, we were served 4 courses – 1 dish made with each variety of legume pasta, created by the charming Chef Walter.

I was excited to find that each of the pastas had a nice texture, and really played off of the other ingredients of the dish well.

This line of pastas is good news for people who have gluten sensitivities, those looking to cut carb intake, and vegans. And bonus points for it being Non-GMO Project Verified.

I decided to recreate one of Chef Walter’s dishes at home, and it did not disappoint! The red lentil pasta is nice and colorful, and worked beautifully with the flavors of the squash and spinach.

Of course, a little bacon grease never hurt anyone either.

This dish was pretty easy to put together, but I did tweak it a bit from the recipe I was given.

The original recipe calls for the garlic, sage, and spinach to be stirred in at the end. I put the garlic and sage in the pan to sauté a bit with the squash, then wilted the spinach down in the same pan before adding the pasta and liquid to the pan. It brought the flavors through more in the final dish, and my Italian husband absolutely loved it!

This dish is perfect for autumn, and it’s one I’ll definitely make again and again. I think some crispy sage leaves would be a fun garnish, too. And I love that I can eat a big bowl of it and not feel like I ate a giant bowl of carbs.

Pasta Lensi Legume Pastas are currently available nationwide at Walmart, and they’re hoping to branch out to more retailers in the future. I definitely recommend giving them a shot. I’d love to see what kind of meals they inspire in your kitchen!

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