Red Lentils and Pasta Rishtay, easy vegan recipe. Rishtay is a traditional Palestinian dish made with red split lentils, pasta, and warm spices. This simple, one-pot recipe is comforting, affordable, and naturally vegan—perfect for busy weeknights or meatless meals.
Rishtay is a traditional dish with deep roots. While it may not be as widely known in Palestinian or Middle Eastern cuisine as many other dishes, it is certainly a favorite in our household.
When my mother makes this dish, she prepares a large pot and invites all her children and their families to share it. She also sends portions to the neighbors, who are always happy to receive some.
This dish is often made during Lent, when many people are abstaining from dairy and meat.
The recipe itself is simple and easy to prepare, with red split lentils and pasta as its main ingredients. Traditionally, Rishtay is made with homemade dough, but using dried pasta is a convenient alternative that makes the recipe even quicker while still delivering its comforting, authentic flavors.
For more vegan recipes with red lentils soup (shorbet adas), carrot and lentil soup, or rummaniyeh (lentil and eggplant).
What is Rishtay?
Rishtay (عدس رشتاية) also pronounced rishta, rushta, rashta or irkak o addas is a classic Palestinian lentil dish made with red split lentils and small pieces of pasta, gently simmered until soft and creamy.
It’s often finished with caramelized onions, which add richness and depth to an otherwise simple base.
Other Middle Eastern countries such as Syria and Lebanon have their own version. Some make it with brown lentils and almost like a stew, while others keep it thicker. But the heart of the dish remains the same: simple ingredients, slow cooking, and a lot of warmth.
Traditionally, this recipe calls for homemade dough, which my mother used to make from scratch. Nowadays, with different pasta shapes readily available, it can easily be substituted for a simpler preparation.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: Ready in about 30 minutes
- Budget-Friendly: Uses pantry staples
- Healthy & Filling: High in plant-based protein
- Vegan & Dairy-Free
- Comfort Food: Warm, soft texture with rich flavor
Equipment
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Ingredients
- Red Split Lentils - Use red split rather than red lentils, the only difference is that their faster to cook.
- Pasta - Pappardelle is a good option cut to 1-2 inches pieces, or another pasta option is Tagliatelle. Traditionally this recipe calls for homemade dough, but using ready made pasta saves you this extra step and it's just as good.
- Yellow Onion - Yellow or sweet onions both work well for caramelizing. While they're mainly used as a garnish, don't skip them, they add a rich, sweet flavor that's essential to the taste of rishtay.
- Tap Water - Use room-temperature tap water to cook the lentils and pasta.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Extra virgin olive oil is used to caramelize the onions. The onion-infused oil also adds rich flavor to the lentils, so don't discard it.
- Cumin - Cumin is the primary spice in this dish. It adds a warm, earthy flavor and is traditionally believed to help reduce the digestive discomfort that legumes can sometimes cause.
- Turmeric - A small amount of turmeric gives the dish its beautiful golden-yellow color without overpowering the flavor.
- For Garnishing:
- Parsley - Fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley adds a bright, fresh finish.
- Caramelized Onion
- Sumac Spice and Red Onion - Finely chopped red onion tossed with sumac provides a tangy, slightly tart crunch that perfectly balances the earthy lentils. You can substitute with yellow or sweet onion if needed, but red onion offers the best flavor and color contrast. This garnish adds an important layer of freshness, so it's well worth including.
Instructions
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 | Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions.
Step 2 | Cook onions on high heat, stirring occasionally, until they are deeply golden and caramelized.
Step 3 | Rinse the red lentils thoroughly and place them in a pot. Cover with tap water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes.
Step 4 | Once lentil boil for 2 minutes add broken pasta.
Step 4 | Add salt, cumin, and turmeric. And stir well to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking.
Step 5 | Continue cooking for 10–15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the lentils have broken down into a thick, creamy consistency.
Step 6 | Pour any additional onion-infused olive oil and a small portion of the caramelized onions into the cooked lentils and pasta and combine well together. (this step is optional)
Toppings
Finely chop the onion, sprinkle it with the sumac, and toss to combine.
Finely chop the parsley leaves.
Expert Tips
- Don't skip the toppings, especially the caramelized onions and the sumac onion mixture, they both give an additional flavor with the over all dish, the tanginess of sumac with the crunch of red onions and the caramelized onions make a great addition to the taste.
- If you like your caramelized onions to be crunchy, you can rub them with 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, or fry them in the air fryer.
Storage and Reheating
- This dish is served in room temperature, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Bring out of the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes, or warm in the microwave to bring to room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Red lentils are traditional for this version because they become creamy quickly. Brown or green lentils require longer cooking and create a different taste and texture
This recipe is vegan and dairy-free, but not gluten free, however you can use gluten free pasta instead of regular pasta.
Red split lentils naturally change color as they cook. Their reddish-orange outer color fades with heat, leaving the cooked lentils a soft yellow or golden color. This is completely normal and doesn't affect their flavor or nutritional value. As they cook, red lentils also break down easily, giving dishes like Rishtay their creamy, comforting texture.
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More Vegan Recipes
Red Lentils and Pasta (Rishtay) | Easy Vegan Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Palestinian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Red Lentils and Pasta Rishtay, easy vegan recipe. Rishtay is a traditional Palestinian dish made with red split lentils, pasta, and warm spices. This simple, one-pot recipe is comforting, affordable, and naturally vegan—perfect for busy weeknights or meatless meals.
Ingredients
- 1 cup red split lentils
- ¾ cup pasta
- 4 cups tap water
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, adjust to taste
For Toppings
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 medium size yellow onion sliced
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sumac powder
- 4 ounces of parsley leaves (washed, rinsed and finely chopped)
Instructions
Caramelizing the Onion
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add sliced onions (for crunchy texture, rub the onions with 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour) cook over high heat, stirring continually, until they are deeply golden and caramelized.
- Transfer the onions to a plate with a slotted spoon, reserving the onion-infused oil in the pot.
Cooking Lentils
- Rinse the red lentils thoroughly and place in a pot. Pour in the tap water, and bring to a boil.
- Cook for 2 minutes on medium high heat.
- Add the broken pasta and stir well to combine.
- Stir in the salt, cumin, and turmeric.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer, with pot uncovered, stirring frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking.
- Continue cooking uncovered on medium low for 10–15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the lentils have broken down into a thick, creamy consistency.
- If the mixture becomes too thick and before the pasta is fully cooked, add a splash of hot water as needed.
- Pour the additional onion-infused olive oil and a small portion of the caramelized onions over the cooked lentil pasta mixture and combine well together.
Toppings:
- Finely chop the red onion, sprinkle it with the sumac, and toss to combine, set aside.
- Remove the stems from the parsley, wash and rinse the leaves thoroughly, then finely chop them and set aside.
Serve:
- Spoon the hot rishtay into serving bowls or plates, keep in mind rishtay thickens once poured into plates.
- Garnish with the caramelized onions, chopped parsley, and thinly sliced onion tossed with sumac.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Don't skip the toppings, especially the caramelized onions and the sumac onion mixture, they both give an additional flavor with the over all dish, the tanginess of sumac with the crunch of red onions and the caramelized onions make a great addition to the taste.
- If you like your caramelized onions to be crunchy, you can rub them with 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, or fry them in the air fryer.
- This dish is served in room temperature, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring out of the fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes, or warm in the microwave to bring to room temperature.
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