Pasta with Red Lentil-Parsnip Sauce and Goat Cheese

Preparation Steps

1. Prepare the vegetables

   Finely chop the onion and cut the parsnip into small, even cubes. Rinse the red lentils.

2. Start the sauce

   Heat the olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly golden. Add the parsnip and cook for another 3 minutes.

3. Simmer the lentils

   Add the red lentils, sauce water, dried thyme, salt and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook with the lid slightly ajar for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the parsnip is tender and the lentils have broken down.

4. Cook the pasta

   While the sauce simmers, bring the pasta water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until tender with a slight bite (mine was 10min). Reserve some cooking water, then drain.

5. Blend the sauce

   Transfer the lentils-parsnip mixture to a blender and blend everything together. The sauce should be thick but spoonable.

6. Combine and serve

   Toss the pasta with the sauce over low heat for 1–2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick to coat the pasta, loosen it with reserved pasta water; it should cling to the pasta rather than sit in a mound. Remove from the heat and crumble the soft goat cheese over the top.