Pappardelle's Five Grain Fettuccine with Spinach, Grilled Artichoke, and Lentil Sauce (serves 4)

When simmered until they're velvety soft, lentils make a surprisingly creamy sauce for pasta. Garlic, onion and lemon juice complete the sauce to pair wonderfully with spinach and artichoke hearts. Pappardelle's Five Grain Fetuccine is relatively light in texture and no added oil is needed to make this dish a satisfying, healthy choice.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup dried lentils
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 pound Pappardelle's Five Grain Fettuccine
1 bag of spinach
1 8.5 ounce can of artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, quartered, and grilled

Method

In a medium pot, heat all seeds over medium heat until they begin to pop, 2 to 3 minutes.  Carefully add broth, 1 cup water, onion, lentils and garlic and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until lentils are very tender and falling apart, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, add lemon juice and stir.  Place cooked lentils in a food processor and blend to desired consistency.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add linguine and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain and return to pot. Immediately add spinach, grilled artichoke hearts, and lentil sauce to hot pasta, toss well, and serve.

Copyright @ 2011. Whole Foods Market IP, L.P.

Source of Inspiration

A version of this recipe comes compliments of Whole Foods...the rest comes from the Pasta Artistica Test Kitchen.  I LOVE Whole Foods; however, the nearest one to us is an hour and a half away.  To to stay connected to it's deliciousness, we make their recipes at home modifying them with Pappardelle's pasta which makes them that much more yummy!