Middle Eastern Pasta With Lentils

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/2 lb brown lentils or 1/2 lb green lentil, washed and picked over
• 3 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• fresh ground black pepper
• 12 ounces spaghetti or 12 ounces tagliatelle pasta noodles
• 2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt

Recipe

• 1 combine the lentils, water and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
• 2 reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender but not mushy.
• 3 add salt to taste toward the end of the cooking.
• 4 drain off most of the liquid, but reserve it in case some is needed later.
• 5 heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and sauté the onions until tender and beginning to color.
• 6 add the garlic, coriander, and cumin, and continue to sauté a couple of minutes, stirring.
• 7 stir this mixture into the lentils and add cayenne and black pepper to taste.
• 8 meanwhile bring a large pot of water to the boil, add salt to taste, and cook the noodles until al dente.
• 9 drain and add to the lentils.
• 10 add the yogurt, and toss together.
• 11 add some of the reserved lentil cooking water if mixture seems too dry.
• 12 reheat gently if necessary and serve at once.