Neapolitan-style Pasta with Lentils - Untested

https://memoriediangelina.com/2025/01/18/pasta-e-lenticchie/

These with tomato

https://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Pasta-e-lenticchie.html

https://blog.giallozafferano.it/martanoskitchen/pasta-e-lenticchie-nere-della-tuscia/

Serves 4

250g (8 oz) French-style green lentils, soaked overnight

1 litre (4 cups) cold water

2–3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt

1 medium onion, thinly sliced across the grain

2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt

Splash of dry white wine

250g (8 oz) linguine, broken into 4–5 cm lengths, or ditali, tubetti, or similar

1 tsp salt per litre of pasta water

½ tsp red wine vinegar

Olive oil to finish

1. Put the lentils in a pot with the water, garlic, bay leaf, olive oil, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, partially covered. Cook 25–40 minutes if soaked, 45–65 if not. They're done when a lentil crushes completely between two fingers with no graininess. As they near the end, smash a quarter to a third of them against the side of the pot — this thickens the liquid into something that will cling to the pasta rather than pool beneath it. Keep the pot moist, topping up with hot water as needed.
2. Start the onions when the lentils are about halfway done. Cook them low and slow in the olive oil with the garlic, adding a tablespoon of water whenever the pan looks dry, until completely soft and translucent — about 20–30 minutes. Add the white wine and let it cook off, another 2–3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the onions to the lentils and stir through.
3. Cook the pasta in well-salted water until noticeably underdone — 2–3 minutes short of packet time. Reserve about 200ml (¾ cup) of pasta water before draining.
4. Add the drained pasta to the lentils along with the reserved pasta water. Stir well, taste for salt, cover the pot, and turn off the heat. Leave to rest for at least 1 hour — or make it in the morning for the evening. This rest is the technique, not optional.
5. To serve, stir in the red wine vinegar, add a small ladleful of water, and reheat gently until warm through. Adjust consistency with more water if needed. Finish each bowl with a thread of olive oil.

Notes

Lentils: Soaking shortens cooking by 20–30 minutes. Canadian French-style green lentils are interchangeable with du Puy for this dish. Beluga lentils work but need more effort to smash and a little more time; add 10–15 minutes to the cooking range.

Pasta: Broken linguine is traditional in the Neapolitan original. Broken spaghetti is fine. Ditali or tubetti need no breaking and are perhaps the most common alternative.

Seasoning: Three salting points accumulate — go conservatively each time and taste after combining.