Ways to Prepare Lentils, Cook Or Make Dressings

• Food: Lentils

• Writer: Alice

• Content-Type: Food Blog

Learn the best methods for consistently preparing lentils.

Lentils are a great way to add protein to salads, sides, and more because they’re tasty, filling, and simple to create.

They are among the first foods you should use if you’re interested in incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet.

These little beans are packed with fiber and protein, they boil up quickly, and they provide a great earthy flavor to a variety of meals.

COOKING LENTILS

They are simple to prepare using my method! It consists of just two simple steps:

1. Rinse. Sometimes dry lentils will be combined with tiny rocks or other detritus. Before cooking, rinse them in a fine-mesh strainer and inspect them for any foreign objects to prevent eating them. Along with the trash, throw away any shriveled lentils.
2. And simmer! You don’t have to follow a certain ratio of lentils to cups of water during cooking, unlike when you’re making couscous or quinoa. Just put them in a sizable pot, cover them halfway with water, and bring them to a boil. Simmer them until they are soft. Depending on the sort of lentils you’re cooking, the precise cook time will vary.

DIFFERENT LENTIL SPECIES AND THEIR USES

Not all lentil kinds may be used interchangeably, and each one performs best in particular sorts of recipes. The most typical types you’ll find in stores are listed below, along with advice on how to use each one:

1. French green lentils or Le Puy

My preferred variety! These guys maintain their shape when cooking and have a delicious crisp texture. They taste great in my curried lentil soup, and I also like to use them in lentil salad and spaghetti sauce.

2. Beelzebub lentils

These black lentils resemble the French green type in many ways. They may be substituted for one another! They take around 20 minutes to cook and have a satisfying bite. When I want to offer lentils as a robust side dish or add them to a salad, I go to them.

3. Brown or Green Regular Lentils

These would be a great option if you’re cooking a hearty broth or stew. As they cook, they lose their ability to maintain their structure and become mushy.

I like to add them dry to a large pot of soup and cook it for approximately 30 minutes, or until they are soft.

4. Red lentils

Lentils of any color, save red (or yellow), and cook the fastest. After only 15 minutes of cooking, they are soft and delicious. They melt and dissolve when cooking, giving food a delectable creamy texture.

As a result, they make a terrific addition to hearty stews, curries, or Indian dals. I even mix them into a delicious dip that resembles hummus!

FAVOURITE RECIPES

You can discover my preferred technique for flavoring cooked French lentils below. To create a filling side dish or the foundation for plant-based bowls, I toss them with red pepper flakes, Dijon mustard, fresh herbs, and lemon juice.

They’re one of my favorite proteins to meal prep and keep on hand in the fridge because they keep for up to 5 days.

There are countless applications for them beyond this straightforward preparation. In addition to the dishes for lentils I already stated, these are a couple of my favorites:

• To make a robust filling for vegetarian tacos, sauté cooked French green lentils with garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Similarly, for added crunch, you may also include a few chopped walnuts.
• Put them in the saucepan with the broth in place of the chickpeas in my multi-vegetable soup.
• For more protein, combine them with a straightforward vegetable spaghetti.
• Use them in a Moroccan-flavored salad, such as the Roasted and Raw Carrot salads.
• Make a protein-rich vegetarian main dish with them by stuffing vegetables, like the Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant on page 179 of Love and Lemons Every Day. Or, stuff them into a warm baked sweet potato!
• Make homemade falafel with them!

Do you have a favorite recipe with lentils? Comment below and let me know!

LENTILS

This is how I usually prepare lentils. Try the tangy marinade once they are cooked; they’re wonderful and ready to be tossed into salads or bowls.

INGREDIENTS