Zucchini Spaghetti with Lentil Marinara

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This Zucchini Spaghetti with Lentil Marinara is one of, if not my absolute, favorite ways I’ve eaten zucchini pasta. I very rarely fix traditional pasta for us and it’s been a long time since I’ve had a good ole’ meat sauce spaghetti. It’s not something I crave or pine over at an Italian restaurant. However, eating this vegetarian lentil marinara with lightly cooked spiralized zucchini, brought back all the fond memories of eating spaghetti as a kid and reminded me why Italian food is often thought off a comfort food. Seriously, so good.

And yet, I’ve been holding out on you, oops! I made this back at the beginning of summer…but with my never-ending barrage of zucchini recipes, I think I was a bit embarrassed to post yet one more. And sadly enough…there’s still another one coming! What can I say…zucchini seems to be very versatile, and as far as health benefits, there’s a lot worse-for-you things I could be posting weekly. So overload of zucchini recipes or not, here’s another that I think you have to try!

And if you missed all those other zucchini recipes I’m referring to…here’s a list!

Zucchini for Every Night of the Week:

Oh, and if you find yourself with the same affection for this Lentil Marinara as myself, check out these Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes and BBQ Lentil Meatballs – both yummy meat-lover makeovers! {In case you’re wondering, no I’m not a vegetarian, I just don’t eat a lot of meat!}

I’ll be spending the weekend at my parents, helping with my mom and looking forward to the projected Fall temperatures, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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Zucchini Spaghetti with Lentil Marinara

This Zucchini Spaghetti with Lentil Marinara is the perfect dish to use up the last of those lingering zucchini in your fridge. Lightened up in calories, but definitely not lacking in flavor!
Course Lunch/Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Keyword lentils, marinara, spaghetti, zucchini
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 364kcal
Author Kaylee Pauley

Ingredients

  • 2-3 large zucchini spiralized
  • 1/2 cup dried lentils rinse and sorted, then cooked according to package
  • For the Sauce:
  • 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 6-7 tbsp not quite 1/2 cup tomato paste
  • 1/4 medium red onion finely chopped
  • 2 small garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 tsp spaghetti seasoning
  • 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • *chopped basil and extra parmesan for garnish

Instructions

  • Cook lentils according to package directions, I just added water, brought to boil, then simmered 35 minutes until all water was absorbed and lentils soft.
  • While lentils cook, add all ingredients for sauce {diced tomatoes through parmesan cheese} to NutriBullet or food processor, blend on high 25-30 seconds, or until ingredients are well combined and thick sauce is formed.
  • Add sauce to small pan and cook over medium heat to bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes.
  • Once lentils are nearly cooked and sauce is heated through, add spiralized zucchini to medium sauce pan and cook over low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until zucchini is soft with a pasta-like texture.
  • Stir cooked lentils {drain any excess water} into marinara sauce and simmer another 1-2 minutes.
  • Divide zucchini spaghetti between two dishes, top with lentil marinara, chopped herbs and parmesan, then serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 64.9g | Protein: 22.7g | Fat: 1.6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 823mg | Fiber: 22.9g | Sugar: 16.6g

 

By Kaylee Pauley

Health and nutrition have always been important to me, but over the past several years, my knowledge and interest in food and how it affects our body has really expanded. So, with my love for cooking, organic produce, and whole foods, with my food blog Lemons and Basil, I hope to inspire you in your cooking adventures and journey of good health, the way so many other food blogs have inspired me!

17 comments

  4. OMG! Make this people, you won’t be disappointed! Didn’t have Spaghetti Seasoning, so looked online and winged it based on the spices we had. This sauce is the sh*t. Added a little feta for some zing.

    Reply

    1. I’m so glad you liked it Tawnya! We eat it as least every other week if not weekly, and the feta sounds like a great addition, I’ll have to try that next time! :)

      Reply

  5. Loved this dish. My wife and I were eager to venture into zoodles dishes, and this one was a good first one. The addition of lentils kept us full

    Reply

  6. What kind of friend lentils did you use? I’m Indian and there are many different types of tried lentils. And can I do this with preach tomatoes as I don’t use can products?

    Reply

    2. Hi Kareena, I used small whole green lentils in this recipe – I purchased mine from Trader Joes. As for the tomatoes, I think you could definitely use fresh tomatoes, maybe try dicing up about 1 1/4 cups worth in place of the canned. Do you use tomato paste? That might be the trickier texture to replace with fresh tomatoes unless you’re accustom to making your own. I hope this helps and you love this recipe as much as we do! :)

      Reply

      1. Thanks for the reply Kaylee. Green lentils are moong which I have at home. Will make this for lunch tomorrow using the fresh tomatoes and if needed will add the paste. Thank you!

        Reply

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