Grandma’s Pasta and Lentils, the dish that tastes like home, like family, the slow simmering of lentils in the large aluminum pot takes me back in time
It wasn’t just a simple soup, like legume stew, it was a ritual that started early in the morning with the sauté and ended with flour-covered hands to prepare the grated pasta. Today, I bring you into my kitchen to discover how such a humble dish can become a family treasure.
THE SECRET: Don’t just call it pasta and lentils. Grandma Rina’s trick was the homemade grated pasta made on the spot. It cooks directly in the lentil broth and releases starch that makes everything creamy, almost velvety. And my touch? A bunch of kale to add freshness and color.
If you want to try my grandma’s soup, follow the recipe step by step and you’ll see how wonderful it tastes.
I’ll leave you three spectacular grandma recipes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Slow cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
Pasta and lentils in the pot, grandma’s secret
- 14 oz cooked lentils
- 1 stalk (celery)
- 1 carrot
- 1 clove garlic
- Half leek
- 1 large potato
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- kale (to taste)
- 1 egg
- all-purpose flour (to taste)
Tools
You won’t need any fancy equipment to make grandma’s lentil soup
- 1 Grater with large holes
- 1 Pot
Steps
Grandma’s lentil soup cooked in the pot
Prepare the soup base: Sauté garlic, celery, carrot, leek with a drizzle of oil in the pot, then add the tomato, mix everything, add the lentils, and then add 3 ladles of hot water, adjust salt, cover with a lid, and let it infuse for about 10 minutes. Cut the potato into pieces and add it to the pot, if the water has evaporated a lot, add another ladle.
PREPARE THE GRATED PASTA: Beat the egg in a bowl and then add flour a little at a time while constantly mixing, you need to get a hard and almost crumbly and dry dough, then with the help of a grater with large holes, start grating the dough to obtain many balls of different shapes. Let them dry on a tray while the lentils are infusing.
Tip for grated pasta:For a great result of grated pasta, use only a grater with large holes and then let the granules dry on a tray.
Add the grated pasta and cook it: Add the grated pasta, it should cook directly with the lentils, always add water, grandma used to say “They must not dry out”, adjust salt, and then add the kale leaves. Once the pasta is cooked, serve in plates and enjoy this wonder.
The final touch! raw oil! Remember to add a drizzle of good raw oil and if you like a pinch of chili pepper, the soup will be even more special
Grandma’s Secret! For unbeatable creaminess, grate the pasta directly into the pot when the lentils are almost ready. If the soup dries too much, add a ladle of hot water, but remember: it should be “azzeccata”, not a long broth!
If you’re not a fan of kale, substitute it with chard, it will be a real delight
