Lentils need around 25 minutes to become tender. Maccherocini are al dente after 8 minutes. That exact difference is why so many one pot attempts with lentils and pasta end up as either a mushy mess or chalky lentils with pasta that is too firm.
We solve this in the Thermomix® with a clear time offset: yellow lentils cook for 25 minutes alone in the tomato stock, then the Maccherocini and double cream go in and finish for eight minutes on reverse direction. The result is a protein-rich, filling stew on the table with just one pot to wash up. We have made this recipe for years as a quick lunch when the previous evening’s bake was too heavy and we want something plant-based.
One Pot Lentil Maccherocini with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 13 ✓
- 50 g Parmesan
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 stalks spring onion
- 15 g sunflower oil
- 80 g tomato puree
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 800 g vegetable stock
- 150 g yellow lentils
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 200 g Maccherocini
- 100 g double cream
Instructions 0 / 5
-
1
Parmesan.
Parmesan cut into pieces, add to the mixing bowl, grate for 15 sec / speed 10 and set aside.
-
2
Vegetables.
Peel the garlic, wash and trim the spring onions, add in pieces to the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5 and push down with the spatula.
-
3
Tomato puree.
Add the oil and tomato puree to the mixing bowl and steam for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
-
4
Sauce.
Add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, lentils, salt and herbs and cook for 25 min / 98°C / speed 1. Place the steaming basket on the lid as a splatter guard instead of the measuring cup.
-
5
Cooking.
Meanwhile dice the bell pepper. Add the bell pepper, Maccherocini and double cream to the mixing bowl, cook for 8 min / reverse direction / speed 1, season to taste if needed and serve immediately.
Tip: Serve the lentil pot straight away, as it thickens very quickly.
Nutrition per serving
Why 25 plus 8 minutes is the key
Yellow lentils are the quickest of their kind, but they still need their 20 to 25 minutes at just under 100°C to become truly soft and release their starch. That starch is what gives the pot its body later, with no flour or extra thickeners needed. If we added the pasta to the mixing bowl at the same time as the lentils, the Maccherocini would be overcooked after 25 minutes and the cream would turn grainy.
In the recipe we therefore cook 800 g vegetable stock plus 400 g chopped tomatoes with 150 g lentils for 25 minutes at 98°C on speed 1. Only then do the 200 g Maccherocini go in with the diced bell pepper and 100 g double cream, cooking for eight minutes on reverse direction, speed 1. The reverse direction matters here: it moves the pasta gently without breaking it up. Running forwards on speed 1 would nick the Maccherocini with the blades, while reverse direction lets them glide along the back of the bowl and stay intact.
Protein from lentils, filling without meat
150 g yellow lentils provide around 36 g of plant-based protein. Spread across four servings that is 9 g of protein from the lentils alone, with Parmesan, double cream and pasta adding more on top. According to the nutritional values, one serving delivers 24 g protein and 522 calories. That is more protein than an average chicken and rice pot, and it contains no meat. That is exactly why this recipe features regularly in weeks when we want to eat less meat.
Anyone who wants to increase the protein content further can replace some of the double cream with skyr or natural yoghurt. Stir the skyr in only at the very end, otherwise it will curdle at 98°C.
Fry the tomato puree, or the flavour falls flat
Before adding the tomatoes and stock, we put 80 g tomato puree with 15 g sunflower oil into the mixing bowl and steam for three minutes at Varoma, speed 1. This is the least conspicuous step in the recipe, but also the most important for flavour. Fresh tomato puree straight from the tube tastes acidic and flat. It is only when it is cooked at a higher temperature that the characteristic umami depth builds up, which separates a tomato stew from a tomato sauce.
Three minutes at Varoma is the minimum. If our pot tastes bland at the end and more salt does not help, it is almost always because the tomato puree was not cooked for long enough. When in doubt, go for four minutes.
Steaming basket instead of measuring cup
During the 25-minute lentil cooking stage, we place the steaming basket on the lid instead of the measuring cup. This is not a cosmetic tip but a necessity. Lentils swell, release starch and the contents of the pot foam up. With the measuring cup closed, pressure builds inside the mixing bowl, the foam pushes upwards and when you open it a red cloud shoots to the ceiling. With the steaming basket the steam can escape, and at the same time the sieve catches the worst of the splashes.
If the pasta turns out too soft or too firm
Maccherocini vary considerably by brand in their cooking time. If the packet says “8 minutes”, the eight minutes on reverse direction will be spot on. If it says “11 minutes”, we need to extend the cooking time to ten to eleven minutes. For wholemeal Maccherocini, allow around twelve minutes. When in doubt, stop after six minutes and taste a piece. Pasta cooks slightly more slowly in tomato stock than in plain water, because the liquid is denser and the starch is already partly bound.
For anyone wanting to use small pasta such as orzo or alphabet pasta: reduce the cooking time to four to five minutes. Larger shapes such as penne or rigatoni need ten to twelve minutes and more liquid, as they absorb stock for longer.
Serve immediately or loosen deliberately
The tip from the recipe card is meant seriously: serve straight away. Lentils and pasta keep absorbing liquid even after the Thermomix® is switched off. After 15 minutes of sitting, the stew will have turned into a thick bake. That is not a problem in itself, but anyone who wants to keep the pot character should ladle into bowls right after the eight minutes on reverse direction.
If there are leftovers, put them in a bowl and leave to cool before storing in the fridge. When reheating the next day, stir in an extra 100 to 200 ml of stock or water and heat the pot slowly on the hob. Reheating in the microwave makes the Maccherocini slightly rubbery, so we would not recommend it.
Variations that work every day
With red lentils instead of yellow: Red lentils are soft after 15 to 18 minutes. We reduce the first cooking time to 18 minutes, otherwise they break down to a puree. The flavour difference is small, but yellow lentils hold their shape better visually.
With spinach at the end: Fold 100 g fresh baby spinach into the pasta in the last two minutes. It wilts quickly and gives the pot a fresh green note that cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes.
With chorizo or smoked tofu: Fry 100 g diced chorizo with the tomato puree for a smoky heat. Anyone who wants to keep it vegetarian can use smoked tofu, also diced and sweated with the tomato puree.
With lemon as a fresh accent: A squeeze of lemon juice directly on the plate lifts the tomato acidity and makes the lentil pot feel lighter. It works better than vinegar.
What goes well alongside
We like to eat the lentil pot with a slice of bread to mop up the sauce. Anyone who wants a second one pot recipe in their weekly plan will find a hearty variation with one pot pasta with cheese and ham for the meat-eating days. Those switching to lentil-focused weeks should know our classic lentil soup with the Thermomix®, which uses brown lentils and bacon. And for cold days we have a pumpkin soup and a potato soup as two classic stews that are just as quick to make.
3 days in the fridge, frozen for 2 months
In the fridge the lentil pot keeps in an airtight container for two days. When reheating, add around 150 ml stock or water, otherwise it will become sticky. Freezing works very well for the lentil and tomato base, but we freeze it without the pasta. Maccherocini become floury after thawing and break apart easily. A practical approach is to double the base at the cooking stage up to the end of the 25-minute phase, scoop half out, freeze it, and next time simply add fresh Maccherocini and double cream to the defrosted base.
How other recipes approach this dish
Also good with: Ciabatta and Parmesan.
Cookidoo uses red lentils with penne rigate in their comparable recipe, with 700 g water plus 300 g sieved tomatoes and an 11-minute cook, topped with Parmesan. Other Thermomix® blogs lean towards an oven version with spaghetti, foil and 30 to 40 minutes at 180°C. We deliberately stick to the pot approach in the Thermomix®, using Maccherocini instead of penne so more sauce sits inside the tubes, and cooking the full 25 minutes at 98°C on speed 1 with the steaming basket instead of the measuring cup. That keeps our pot vegetarian, oven-free and bacon-free, with a noticeably creamier lentil and tomato base than the oven versions.
