Name: Here’s an Easy Way to Get Your Lentils This New Year’s Eve
Cook time: 3/4 hour
Cuisine: ��������
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; plus more for serving 1 celery stalk; finely minced 1 carrot; finely minced 1 small leek; white part only; thinly sliced 4 cups vegetable broth; divided; plus more as needed 8 ounces small brown lentils; preferably Castelluccio di Norcia IGP 1 bay leaf 3/4 pound ditalini; pasta mista or other short pasta 1 cup diced canned tomatoes or cherry tomatoes Salt and black pepper; to taste Aged Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino cheese; grated; to taste

Here’s an Easy Way to Get Your Lentils This New Year’s Eve

Primo

Francine Segan | Fri, 12/26/2025 - 19:05

Pasta e lenticchie, a traditional dish from Naples / Photo: glbN via Shutterstock

Difficulty Level

Low

Cooking Time

3/4 hour

Cost

Low

Lentils, which are coin-shaped, have long been a symbol of wealth and are eaten in Italy on New Year’s Eve to bring a year of good luck. You’ll most commonly see them prepared with cotechino (spiced pork sausage) or zambone (stuffed pig’s foot), but there are many other delicious ways to enjoy them, including in pasta e lenticchie, a classic wintry first course that’s earthy, nutty and easy to prepare in under 30 minutes.

Typical of southern Italy, pasta e lenticchie is tr