First, gather all your ingredients and prepare them in the right amounts. That makes it so much easier and more fun and you're less likely to forget anything.
Heat salted water in a big pot for the pasta.
Sauté onions in a medium pot in olive oil until soft. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, lentils, salt, sugar, nutritional yeast and optional red wine. Stir well, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer with the lid on.
When the water is boiling, add pasta and cook for one minute less than instructions suggest.
Drain and add to the simmering sauce immediately. It's fine if a little cooking water gets into the sauce, it will only make it better. Stir well.
Brown the pine nuts in a small pan, dry or with a little olive oil. Careful, they burn quickly.
Serve the pasta with 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast sprinkled over the top as parmesan replacement, with the rocket salad and the pine nuts.