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a classic that works

Whole wheat pasta with red lentils and smoked bacon

An everyday dish for 2, ready in 35 minutes, around $2.84 a serving. People actually plan it with Popotam, and it's in season in October.

35mintotal
≈ $2.84a serving
800kcalper serving
34gof protein
In season in OctoberFreezes well
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Whole wheat pasta with red lentils and smoked bacon, 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 (about 2 l), salt it and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.

  2. Prep the onion and garlic

    Peel the onion and slice it thin. Peel the 2 garlic cloves and chop them.

  3. Cook the pasta

    Pour the 140 g of whole wheat pasta into the boiling water and let it cook at a strong simmer, stirring now and then.

  4. Add the red lentils

    Pour the 100 g of red lentils into the same saucepan with the pasta. Keep cooking, so the pasta gets 10 min total and the lentils 6 min.

    Tip · Red lentils fall apart fast. Only add them for the last 6 minutes, or they turn to mush.

  5. Brown the bacon

    Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the 120 g of diced smoked bacon.

  6. Sauté the onion and garlic

    Add the onion to the skillet with the bacon and let it soften over medium heat. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds.

  7. Drain the pasta and lentils

    Set aside a small glass of pasta water, then drain the pasta and lentils together in the colander.

  8. Bring it together and serve

    Turn down the heat, add the 100 g of crème fraîche to the skillet with 2 to 3 spoonfuls of pasta water. Add the pasta and lentils, toss, add pepper and adjust the salt if needed.

    Tip · If the sauce is too thick, add the pasta water you saved little by little, one spoonful at a time, until it coats the pasta well.
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 800 kcal. 37% comes from carbs, 17% from protein and 42% from fat.

75 gCarbs
34 gProtein
37 gFat
Per serving (the dish for 2, divided by 2)
Energy800 kcal
Protein34.1 g
Carbs74.7 g
of which sugars5.3 g
Fat37.3 g
of which saturated fat16 g
Fiber14.1 g
Salt1.7 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 $2.84 a serving, adding up the average prices of the ingredients you need to buy.

≈ $5.67for 2 people
≈ $2.84a 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?

Popotam plans your whole week

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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With the same ingredients

whole wheat pasta, red lentils, diced smoked bacon…