Pasta with Lentils (Pasta e Lenticchie)

The pasta with lentils is a complete meal because it is a perfect balance of protein, fiber, vitamins, and carbohydrates. It is a unique and delicious dish which will give you the energy that your body needs all day long.
It is nutrient for growing children, energizing for parents, digestible for grandparents, and it's also great for vegetarians and vegans, because the pasta lentils does not have any ingredient of animal origin. And it is also very tasty. 

Ingredients

• 8.85 OZ (~250 gr.) Lentils
• 8.85 OZ (~250 gr.) Small pasta such as "Ditalini," "Farfalline," or whatever you like)
• 2 "San Marzano" tomato or 1 regular tomato (or 4 spoon of tomato puree)
• 1 medium potato;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 rib celery;
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil;
• Salt. 

Directions

Put the dried lentils in a bowl with cold water and soak them for about one hour. Then drain and put them in a pot with salted water and simmer for 20 minutes. If you use canned lentils that are pre-cooked, you don't need to soak and cook them, so you can go forward to the next step.
Dice the potato, carrot, celery and tomato into very small cubes, and mix them with the lentils. Stir and let it cook another 20 minutes.
It's time to add the pasta now, the broth should completely cover the uncooked pasta, so you can add warm salt water if necessary.
Cook it for another 10 minutes, turn off the heat, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and let stand a few minutes before serving.
Buon appetito!