Healthy Spaghetti

To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. While you wait for that to come to a boil, start heating a separate pan on another burner over medium-high heat. Once that pan is hot, add the ground beef and season with a ½ teaspoon of salt. Use a spatula to break up the meat, stirring often until it's no longer pink. 2. As soon as the water starts boiling in the large pot, season it with two teaspoons of salt and add the spaghetti noodles. Use a fork to stir the noodles right away to help separate them as they cook. (This will prevent clumps later.) If you want to cook cabbage at the same time, add the shredded cabbage to the pot and let it soften as the noodles boil. (See notes for an alternative method.) Once the pasta is tender, drain it along with the cabbage into a colander and set aside briefly. 3. In the skillet with the cooked meat, add the drained lentils and marinara sauce. Stir until the sauce is heated through. The longer you let this simmer, the more the lentils and meat will absorb the flavor, but it can be ready to serve as soon as it's hot. 4. To serve, add the noodles and cabbage to serving bowls and top with the meat sauce. Add any garnishes you like, such as Parmesan cheese or fresh basil, and serve right away. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. (We like to store noodles and sauce separately.) 5. prep10 mins 6. cook40 mins 7. total50 mins