If you hate lentils, chances are you have eaten them from a can. The first time I tried them was long before becoming vegan. The lentils were floating in a dirty, brown broth labeled by the Progresso company as soup. I was unimpressed, to say the least.
Since then, however, I have come to appreciate home cooked lentils for the clean, lean, whole food protein powerhouses they are, boasting 18 grams per cup. Not too shabby!
Through experience, I have learned the tastiest lentils are always cooked fresh. By controlling the cooking and flavoring process can you truly have the best lentil experience.
Here is a simple, flavorful recipe for lentils you can dish over a steaming bowl of rice and announce that dinner is done.
Lentils For Dinner
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup Carrot, finely chopped
1/2 cup Onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Minced garlic
1 tbsp. Ginger, fresh–grated or finely chopped
1 cup Lentils, brown–rinsed, removing any stones or foreign matter
1 Bay leaf
2 cups Water
1 tsp. Salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Heat large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium heat and sauté onion, carrots and celery in olive oil with a pinch of salt until onion is translucent and carrots are crisp-tender (about 7 minutes).
Add ginger and garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.
Pour 2 cups of water into the vegetable mixture along with the rinsed lentils, bay leaf and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered until lentils are tender, but not mushy *(about 20-25 minutes), with most or all of the water absorbed. You want them to simmer–bubbling nicely, not to boil like crazy. This will make them break apart and get mushy.
Taste for salt and add more if needed, along with a generous grind of fresh, black pepper.
*Note: Cooking time can vary slightly from brand to brand, so it’s a good idea to check in periodically and see how the lentils are coming along, giving them a little stir. Pull one out and bite into it at about the 20 minute mark. The last thing you want is to overcook them. Al dente (firm to the bite) is my goal, so I can toss any leftovers into a cold salad the next day.
So funny, I was thinking of making something like this tonight!
This is simple, tasty and so nutritious. I hope you try it!
I made something similar.😊
I looveee lentils & love to cook them from dried one’s! This is a decent tasty basic recipe that I made & loved! I served it with a good vegan sausage!
This is similar to a cold lentil salad I make all the time: lentils, celery, carrots, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper!
Sounds delicious! Thanks for stopping by, Louisa 🙂
I love lentils and agree cooked from scratch is best. I did recently used precooked lentils to save a step for beet burgers, which used schredded beet, cooked brown rice and cooked lentils as the base. A simple lentil and onion soup with wine in the broth is also delicious.
Sounds great! I make that beet burger recipe, too…so good with dried fennel! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
This looks really delicious! I love lentils too, and always make them from dried. They really don’t take long to cook and you don’t have to soak them overnight, so often they are my go-to bean.
Yes, I like red lentils too 🙂