A simple and fresh pasta recipe for a light, gluten-free, and vegan meal. Red Lentil Spaghetti with Grilled Patty Pan Squash, tossed with diced tomatoes, fresh herbs, and spices. An easy dinner that will leave you feeling healthy and nourished with a dose of hidden protein!

I did make it a few times to a super small farmer’s market this summer. It became my mid-morning Sunday tradition to head into town, grab some coffee, and take a stroll over to the market. There were maybe 7 stands and only 2 of them had some fresh produce. After strolling around this little market a few times, I knew I had to at least buy one thing the next time I went (**reminder to bring some cash!**). They week I decided to buy (I’d wanted to get some garlic scapes, but they didn’t have any!), they had mounds and mound of zucchini, summer squashes, and patty pan.

Obviously, the patty pan squash caught my eye with its cute fat roundness (they were just begging me to buy them!). I had the intention of just buying one, only $.75! When I went over to pay for my one cute squash, the man told me to take a few more, they had too many. Did I have to pay? No! That’s all this super frugal girl needed to hear! Now loaded up on fresh farmer’s market patty pan and summer squash, I had the burden of the overabundance problem to deal with. Not too much of a burden for a recipe developer, eh?

I’ve been really into pasta dishes this summer and with all the fresh produce around, combing the two always leads to a lovely light meal. I also happened to have this lovely box of the new red lentil spaghetti from Explore Cuisine that I just had to try out! You know I love my legume-based pasta! This spaghetti taste like “the real deal” (i.e. non-gluten-free pasta!) It looked like normal pasta too (once cooked!). I’m totally a fan and totally suggest you try some yourself! It’s 73% red lentil flour and 27% brown rice flour, so not totally grain free, but super delicious!

The patty pan squash comes in to make this spaghetti not only high in protein, but light, fresh, and summery! I cut the patty pan into strips and lightly grilled them in my grill pan for just a few minutes to soften. Then I just threw the squash, some diced tomatoes, fresh parsley, and some spices into the cooked spaghetti and the meal was complete! I love keeping pasta dishes super simple so you can taste all the fresh ingredients without being muddled or hidden by a heavy sauce. According to the Italians, pasta was meant to be fresh and simple. They’re all about the “less is more” vibe when it comes to cooking. Fresh is best and simple is…delicious!

Red Lentil Spaghetti with Grilled Patty Pan Squash

Red Lentil Spaghetti with Grilled Patty Pan Squash

A simple and fresh pasta recipe for a light, gluten-free, and vegan meal. Red Lentil Spaghetti with Grilled Patty Pan Squash, tossed with diced tomatoes, fresh herbs, and spices. An easy dinner that will leave you feeling healthy and nourished with a dose of hidden protein!

• Author: Rebecca Pytell
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz) Box of Explore Cuisine Red Lentil Spaghetti
• 1 Medium Patty Pan Squash (cut into strips)
• 1 1/2 Cups Diced Tomatoes
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
• 1 Tsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot, boil the spaghetti according to box directions (about 8-10 minutes), drain, rinse, and add the spaghetti back to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, on a greased non-stick grill pan, lightly grill the patty pan squash strip for about 5 minutes, flip them halfway through.
3. Add the grilled squash, diced tomatoes, parsley, and spices to the cooked spaghetti. Toss the pasta and serve.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1

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See how delicious light and simple can be? I think this would make a lovely meal to serve up the last of your fresh summer produce, you agree? And come on, who ever says no to pasta? It’s like saying no to pancakes (okay, maybe a bit less tragic!) Now, let’s get cooking! Happy simple eating!

So tell me:

+ What’s your favorite thing to pick-up at the farmer’s market? I’m still crying that I never got my hands on garlic scapes!

+ What’s your go-to simple pasta dish?

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