Lentils + How to Cook Them in 6 Recipes
I can write a whole bunch of things about how much I love lentils, but let’s just get right down to it. We need good ways to cook with bulk goods to make nutritious meals for our families while we’re holed up inside, right? Here are 6 of my favorite recipes using lentils, sourced from my cookbooks and cooking classes. A couple of Italian soups, a French soup, a coconut curry lentil soup, some lentil salad and a dal soup from India. Let me know what you try! Click here if you’d like to access this as a .pdf.
Photo credit: Michael Dvorak Photography
The Lentils Variety Pack
Lentils are one of the most easily digested plant proteins - and are easy and quick to cook. Dried lentils last a long time (store in glass to keep them fresh and sealed). If you stock up on both green lentils and red lentils, you can make any of these recipes below. Options provided for you to gravitate towards your favorite flavors - French, Italian, Indian. Each recipe contains a starch ingredient in the dish or alongside, to simplify serving (and to complete the protein).
The Recipes
Umbrian Rice, Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
French Tomato, Rice and Lentil Soup
Italian Lentil Soup
Curried Coconut, Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
Quick Red Lentil Salad
Curried Red Lentil Stew (Bengali Dal)
Pantry item checklist (for all recipes):
Green lentils
Red lentils
Rice (white or brown)
Sweet Potatoes
Kale
Carrots
Celery
Canned tomatoes
Onions
Garlic
Fresh parsley (optional)
Can coconut milk
Limes (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
Curry powder
Umbrian Rice, Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
Yield: about 6 servings
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large sweet potato (or 1/2 medium winter squash if you prefer)
3/4 cup brown rice
3/4 cup small brown or green lentils
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
8 stems kale, stalks removed and discarded, leaves chopped (about 4 cups total)
2 teaspoons sea salt
Filtered water
1. Warm a medium (about 4 qt), heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the olive oil, onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté slowly until they become almost caramelized, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sea salt, then stir in the garlic and the sweet potato or squash and sauté 3 minutes longer.
3. Add the rice, lentils, and dried herbs along with 1 teaspoon salt and 2 quarts of water. (Save the fresh parsley for later, if using.) Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer until the rice and lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
4. Taste for salt and add more to taste. Add the chopped kale and stir. If the soup is too thick at this point, add more water as desired and adjust salt to taste again. Once the kale is bright green and wilted, add the chopped parsley. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve.
French Tomato, Rice and Lentil Soup
Yield: 6 servings
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
sea salt
1 - 14 oz. can organic whole or chopped tomatoes, crushed, juices reserved
6 cups cold water
1 head of garlic, separated into peeled cloves
2/3 cup brown rice or white rice
1/3 cup dark green French lentils
freshly ground pepper
In a 4 quart enameled cast-iron casserole or soup pot, combine the onions, carrots, oil, bay leaves, thyme and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the tomatoes with their juices, the water and garlic and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Add the rice and lentils, cover and simmer over low heat until the grains are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Thin with water if needed. Discard the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Italian Lentil Soup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
2 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 medium potato, scrubbed and diced (about 1 cup)
2 cups dried French green lentils
8 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (omit if you don’t have fresh parsley)
Freshly ground black pepper
Red wine vinegar (a few drops brightens up the flavors, use if you wish!)
1. Warm a soup pot over medium heat, then add olive oil, onion, garlic, carrot, celery and potato. (You can add vegetables to the pot as you chop; start with the onions, then throw in the carrot, celery, garlic and potato as you’re done dicing.) Sauté, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add lentils, water and salt; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to where you can maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
2. Add parsley and additional water if necessary. Continue simmering for approximately 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Season to taste with additional salt, if needed, and freshly ground pepper.
Curried Coconut, Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup
Yield: 6 servings
2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2” piece ginger, peeled and minced or grated
1 1/2 tablespoon dried curry powder
3 small or 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
1 - 14 oz can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
8 cups water with two vegetable bouillon cubes or vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
Juice of one fresh lime
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
Warm a large soup pot over medium-low heat, then add coconut oil, onion, garlic and ginger and sauté slowly for about 10 minutes. Add curry powder and sweet potatoes and sauté another 5 minutes to warm the spices. Add coconut milk, lentils, and water or broth. Simmer slowly until lentils are done and sweet potatoes are tender, approximately 35 minutes. Add lime juice and cilantro and serve.
Quick Curried Red Lentil Salad
Serve over a big handful of greens, or in a bowl with steamed broccoli or cauliflower.
Yield: about 1 cup
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed by swishing a few times in 2-3 changes of water
1 1/2 cups filtered water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Bring red lentils, water, salt, turmeric and curry powder to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce heat to maintain a fast simmer until lentils are tender but not mushy. Remove from the heat. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Spritz with fresh lemon or lime if you have it - for brightness.
Curried Red Lentil Stew (Bengali Dal)
If you don’t have all the spices, or even fresh ginger, just add a bit more curry powder.
Yield: 4 servings
1 1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee or butter
2 teaspoons curry powder OR use the fennel, cumin and mustard seeds - next 3 ingredients
1/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 cup minced onion
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1-2 small dried red chili pods or red pepper flakes (taste before adding if you want more heat)
1 cup finely chopped organic whole tomatoes (canned or fresh)
1. Rinse lentils in several changes of fresh water. In a medium saucepan, combine rinsed lentils, water, pepper, turmeric and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring once or twice to make sure the lentils are not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook over medium heat, partially covered, for 25-30 minutes until the lentils completely fall apart.
2. While lentils are cooking, heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the coconut oil and the fennel, cumin and mustard seeds. Add the onion and bay leaf and and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chile pods, ginger and tomatoes and continue to sauté until the mixture is reduced to a fragrant pulp.
3. Add the ginger-onion mixture to the cooked lentils along with salt to taste. Cook for an additional 10 minutes to bring the flavors together. Taste the dish for salt, and serve over brown Basmati rice with a big leafy green salad.
***Stir in a couple of handfuls of your favorite dark leafy green, shredded - kale, collards, chard, spinach - to the finished dish for an all-in-one curry + greens.
Brown Basmati Rice
Yield: 3 cups cooked rice
1 1/2 cups brown Basmati rice
2 1/4 cups filtered water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
In a covered, medium saucepan, bring the rice, water and salt to a boil. Without removing the cover, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for 35 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.