small price, big dish

Whole wheat pasta with red lentils and sautéed zucchini

An everyday dish for 2, ready in 30 minutes, around $1.58 a serving. People actually plan it with Popotam, and it's in season in October.

30mintotal
≈ $1.58a serving
548kcalper serving
23gof protein
VegetarianIn season in OctoberFreezes well
Whole wheat pasta with red lentils and sautéed zucchini, a serving idea
AI-generated image · Serving idea
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Step-by-step recipe

check things off as you go
  1. Bring the water to a boil

    Fill the large saucepan with water, add the pinch of salt and cover. Put it over high heat until it boils.

  2. Prep the veggies

    While the water heats up, slice the onion, crush and chop the garlic, and cut the 270 g of zucchini into small dice. Chop the parsley.

  3. Cook the red lentils

    Pour the 80 g of red lentils into the boiling water and let them simmer 10 min, until tender. Drain them in the colander, set them aside and bring the water in the saucepan back to a boil.

    Tip · Chop the veggies while the lentils cook, and keep an eye on them: red lentils go from tender to mush fast.
  4. Cook the whole wheat pasta

    Drop the 160 g of whole wheat pasta into the boiling water and cook 10 min, or according to the package. Save a small glass of pasta water, then drain.

  5. Sauté the onion

    While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion 3 min, stirring, then add the garlic and curry powder for 30 seconds.

  6. Sauté the zucchini

    Add the zucchini to the skillet with the pepper. Sauté over high heat 5 min, until golden but still firm.

    Tip · Don't stir the zucchini nonstop and don't cover the skillet, or it releases its water and boils instead of browning.
  7. Toss it all

    Add the pasta and lentils to the skillet with the remaining 0.5 tbsp of olive oil. Toss 2 min over medium heat, with a little pasta water if it's dry.

  8. Serve with the parsley

    Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Divide between two plates and sprinkle with parsley.

And there you go, it's readyCheck off every step to celebrate.

The questions you're asking

short answers, numbers you can check

How many calories in a serving?

One serving has about 548 kcal. 57% comes from carbs, 17% from protein and 21% from fat.

78 gCarbs
23 gProtein
13 gFat
Per serving (the dish for 2, divided by 2)
Energy548 kcal
Protein23 g
Carbs78.1 g
of which sugars6.8 g
Fat12.7 g
of which saturated fat2.1 g
Fiber13.7 g
Salt0.3 g

Worked out ingredient by ingredient with the ANSES Ciqual 2025 table, never written by an AI. It's an estimate: veggie sizes and brands make the numbers vary.

How much does it cost?

About $1.58 a serving, adding up the average prices of the ingredients you need to buy.

≈ $3.16for 2 people
≈ $1.58a serving

Pantry salt, oil and spices aren't counted. Your store and your brands will move the total, but the ballpark is right.

How long does it keep?

2 days in the fridge, in a closed container, once cooled within two hours. After that, into the freezer it goes.

2 daysin the fridge
Yesin the freezer, thaw it in the fridge the day before

Times Popotam uses for meal prep, based on ANSES guidance, rounded down. The details: how long cooked dishes keep.

and the rest of the week?

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Lunch and dinner, with dishes like this one, based on your tastes, your time and your budget. The grocery list is sorted by aisle. Free, no account.

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