{"id":12363,"date":"2019-05-16T07:31:11","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T11:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veganlovlie.com\/?p=12363"},"modified":"2022-03-23T15:16:21","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T22:16:21","slug":"tagliatelle-with-artichoke-hearts-and-lentils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veganlovlie.com\/tagliatelle-with-artichoke-hearts-and-lentils\/","title":{"rendered":"Tagliatelle Pasta with Artichoke Hearts and Lentils"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Warm spices like cumin and paprika, create a deep flavour undertone, which is then enlivened with a touch of bright orange juice and dried apricots to make a vibrant tomato sauce base for lentils and artichokes to mingle in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The brown lentils and artichoke hearts add to the tapestry of flavours and textures, making this hearty tagliatelle pasta dish an easy weeknight dinner that uses ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
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\"Tagliatelle <\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The other day, Kevin and I were talking about our favourite pasta shapes. When you think of pasta, it\u2019s more or less the same dough shaped differently and they pretty much taste the same. Yet, I tend to find some shapes more appealing than others when it comes to pasta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin loves the small elbow macaroni while my favourite pasta shape is the tagliatelle. I love how these thin wide ribbon noodles delicately wrap around the fork. What a wonderful mouthfeel! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about you? What\u2019s your favourite pasta shape?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What I also love about tagliatelle is that it often comes into small nests of about the same weight, which makes measuring and portioning really handy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artichoke hearts and lentils in a vibrant tomato sauce go perfectly with tagliatelle pasta. And this is pretty much a rather quick meal too. Dried lentils don\u2019t take long to cook but if you want to save time, you can use a can of lentils instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tagliatelle <\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The sauce features the addition of orange juice and dried apricots. I\u2019ve been really fond of using organic dried apricots as a natural sweetener in some dishes lately<\/a>. They are a great alternative to dates or maple syrup, and have a hint of floral aroma which lends additional flavour to the dish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find both orange juice and dried apricots to balance out the earthiness of the lentils while adding a hint of sweetness to the sauce to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes. Just perfect! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You won\u2019t distinctly taste neither the orange nor the apricots in the sauce, but they mingle together into an ambrosial pasta dish that you\u2019ll perhaps love to keep as a weekly rota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am no nutrition expert but according to numerous sources, vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron. Hence, the orange juice and lentils in the dish are a great combo in that regard too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for tomatoes, choose good quality ones. I am using crushed\/blended tomatoes as well as some chunky ones. I love to char some big chunks of tomatoes and add them back to the dish during the last phase of cooking. Aside from additional flavour from the searing, they add a lot of visual appeal to the presentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tagliatelle <\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Canned or jarred artichoke hearts will work well in this dish but you can also use fresh artichokes. If using fresh artichokes, you may want to check this easy<\/a> <\/a><\/strong>artichoke pasta salad<\/a> where we showed (with video) how to prepare and cook fresh artichoke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t find artichoke hearts where you live, swap for other vegetables like some pan-fried aubergine (eggplant) or just omit them and add more mushrooms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course, if you feel like using another pasta shape, it\u2019s all good. Any type of pasta, gluten-free or bean pasta<\/a>, will work too. If using bean pasta, I suggest reducing the lentils by half as bean pasta is really filling all by itself and contains a lot of protein already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n