This lentil and red pepper sauce recipe started off life as a soup, but by making it a little thicker, it makes a lovely, creamy sauce. It’s versatile and works well with pasta, made into a mild curry (with a few tweaks), or simply as a sauce to pour over your favourite protein and vegetables!
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
It seems to me that most sauces fall into 3 categories:
- Tomato-based and/or tangy/spicy
- Creamy and/or cheesy sauce
- Gravy
I’m a big fan of all three. This sauce though? I think it needs its own category. It uses red lentils for a velvety earthy flavour, plus red peppers and garlic for a fresh, fragrant hit. It’s all finished off with a little creme fraiche, just to add a little richness.
Keep a stash of it in the freezer and you can use it in so many ways!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Vegetable Stock – You can substitute this for Vegetable Bouillon to make it gluten-free.
📺 Watch how to make it
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
Pro Tip
Keep a stash of it in the freezer and you can use it in so many ways! I freeze it in individual portions so it’s quicker to thaw.
This is a great sauce to keep in the freezer when you’re in a pinch and need a hearty, fulfilling dinner that’s full of flavour!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It🍽️ How to use it
Vegetarian
- Stir into cooked pasta and sprinkle with grated (shredded) Cheddar for creamy lentil pasta.
- Heat with cooked tofu pieces and 1 tablespoon of curry paste and serve with rice, topped with fresh coriander (cilantro) for a mild lentil curry bowl. Add in some quick-cook vegetables, such as courgette (zucchini) or sugar snap peas (snow peas) for some extra veg too.
- Heat with an extra cup of stock (and blend together if not already blended) and serve as a soup with crusty bread.
Non-Vegetarian
- Heat with cooked chicken and 1 tablespoon of curry paste and serve with rice, topped with fresh coriander (cilantro) for a mild lentil curry bowl. Add in some quick-cook vegetables – such as courgette (zucchini) or sugar snap peas (snow peas) for some extra veg too.
- Drizzle over roasted chicken thighs and serve with steamed vegetables. I like to finish with a spoonful of chilli oil or sriracha too.
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Lentil & Red Pepper Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 2 red bell peppers deseeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 100 g (1/2 cup) red lentils
- 480 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons crème fraiche
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the onion, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper and fry for 5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.1 onion, 2 red bell peppers, 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add the lentils and stock. Stir together and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.100 g (1/2 cup) red lentils, 480 ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
- Turn off the heat and stir through the crème fraiche. If you’d like a smooth sauce, carefully blend, using a hand blender.2 tablespoons crème fraiche
Video
Notes
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate the cooled sauce in a sealed container for up to three days. Alternatively freeze the sauce in single or family-sized portions in a sealed container and defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a saucepan until piping hot. Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, based on this recipe making 6 servings.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
? Frequently Asked Questions
Refrigerate the cooled sauce in a sealed container for up to three days. Alternatively freeze the sauce in single or family-sized portions in a sealed container and defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a saucepan until piping hot.
🍲 More fantastic pasta sauces
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