Serves: 4
Hands-on: 25 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 1 bunch basil, leaves picked
- 1 cup baby rocket leaves
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon Italian spice booster (see below)
- 3 x 400 g tins lentils, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves
- 4 cups cooked wholegrain penne
Method
1. Place the oil, lemon zest and juice, basil, rocket, spring onion, garlic and spice booster in a food processor and blend until smooth, adding a little water, if needed, to loosen.
2. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl.
3. Add the lentils, baby spinach and penne, season with freshly ground black pepper and toss to combine. Serve.
Italian Spice Booster:
This is the go-to seasoning blend for pasta sauces, but you can also sprinkle it on vegetables or potatoes for extra flavour, or mix it into salad dressings.
MAKES ABOUT ⅔ CUP
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
Herbed Greens and Lentil Penne recipe extracted from The CSIRO Women’s Health & Nutrition Guide by Dr Jane Bowen, Associate Professor Bev Muhlhausler & Gemma Williams (Macmillan Australia, $39.99). Photography by Rob Palmer.