Red Lentil Pasta with Braised Short Ribs {giveaway}

Today’s post is sponsored by General Mills, but my opinions are my own and I’m just grateful that they introduced me to this product, to be honest. Scroll to the bottom for a giveaway.

I’m starting to think my love for pasta isn’t natural. Aren’t you supposed to get sick of a food once you eat too much of it? Isn’t it the norm to be all like “I can’t even look at you” to the food you’ve been eating constantly? And then not eat that food again for a very long time? How can one be totally okay with eating pasta every single day?

All silly questions, of course. BECAUSE PASTA IS THE BEST FOOD GROUP.

The downside is that carbs are bad. I’m all living by a beach and eating so many carbs, you guys. Get.It.Together. And it’s summer. Gah! I’m the worst girl ever.

Given all of this, you can imagine how my whole WORLD was changed when I was introduced to Uddo’s Kitchen Red Lentil Penne Pasta. That’s right: red lentil. What’s that you say, that you’ve never heard of such a thing? Yeah, well, me neither. And now I’m imparting my wisdom onto all of you fine folk. (Also, this is a brand new product sold exclusively at select Sam’s Club stores nationwide – and Costco in the midwest so it’s totally normal if you haven’t heard of it.)

One ingredient pasta, imagine that. It’s natural, gluten-free, and an excellent source of protein. Weeks later, I still can’t even wrap my mind around it. Is this real life?

Now, my initial thought was that it would have some funky flavor. That Uddo’s Kitchen, bless their little hearts, would have tried so hard to create a one ingredient red lentil pasta and me, the most pasta loving of all pasta lovers, would be underwhelmed. But, in all sincerity, I cannot tell a difference. It’s magical.

So then I made a decidedly less than healthy dish with the healthy pasta, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is that just by substituting your normal penne for these maroon lovelies, you’re being better. And that’s always a win. Especially during beach season, am I right, ladies?

We have here a Red Lentil Penne Pasta with the most luscious braised beef short ribs you’ll find. There’s the flavors of thyme and rosemary and red wine and some tang from dijon mustard and saltiness from the parmesan cheese. When I tasted the first bite, I made sure to pat myself on the back, to be very honest with you.

This is one of those recipes that you should make on a weekend day because it’ll need to cook for about 3 hours in total. I made my beef and the sauce all in the dutch oven, added in the cooked pasta, and put it down right in the middle of the table so everyone could just dig in and enjoy.

It’s Sunday family dinner at its finest.

Print Recipe ^[4]

Red Lentil Penne Pasta with Braised Short Ribs

Yield: 6-8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes

It's a trick! There is actually no (traditional) pasta in this dish. All the penne is made with red lentils. Plus, pair it with rich shredded beef and it's a dinner made in heaven.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces Uddo's Kitchen Red Lentil Penne Pasta ^[5]
• 1.5 pounds boneless beef short ribs
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 cups beef broth
• 8 fresh sprigs of thyme
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 dried bay leaf
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Rind of parmigiano reggiano (mine was 3")
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
• Small handful of chopped fresh parsley (garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add short ribs to the pot and brown on all sides, 8-10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside.
3. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, red wine, dijon mustard, and beef broth. Bring mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Tie the thyme and rosemary sprigs together and add to the pot along with the bay leaf, pinch of red pepper flakes, and parmesan rind. Stir everything together.
4. Return the ribs to the pot, making sure to snuggle them into the liquid. Place the dutch oven into the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is cooked and fork tender.
5. When there's about 10 minutes left for the beef to cook, ready a pot with boiling water and cook the red lentil penne according to package directions. Drain.
6. Take dutch oven out of the oven and using two forks, shred the beef into small pieces. Add the penne to the pot and stir everything together.
7. Add the grated parmigiano reggiano to the mixture and stir again. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with fresh parsley as a garnish and serve.

Before you go! General Mills has been gracious enough to offer one winner a package of Uddo’s Kitchen Red Lentil Penne Pasta. One packages comes with 3 12-ounces bags of pasta. Simply comment below with your favorite pasta dish. I’ll choose a random winner in about a week’s time. Good luck!