Lots of Lovely Lentils

Last week, we published an article by Victoria about using what you have in your pantry to reduce your grocery bills. It was full of great tips, and I immediately went to my pantry to see what I could use in my menu planning for the week. I found lentils.
Lots and lots of lentils.

For some reason, I had 4 full bags of lentils and 5 half bags. Lentils are inexpensive and I love them, but really? That’s rather excessive, even for me. And I’m always forgetting my grocery list and having to wing it as I meander through the grocery aisles. So here are some of the recipes I’ll be using to get rid of all those lentils in my pantry.

Please note there are all sorts of lentils – red, brown, green, black, Puy, etc. These recipes use the brown lentils you can find in any grocery store next to the dried pinto beans and split peas.

Mujaddara

This dish is almost ubiquitous throughout the Middle East and is simplicity itself. Served with a salad with a lemony dressing, hummus, olives, and pita, it’s a delicious and filling (and inexpensive!) vegan dinner. There are about 287 different ways of spelling it, too.

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil
2 to 3 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
4 ½ cups water
2 cups brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup long grain white rice, rinsed
1 tablespoon cumin
Salt to taste

Directions

In a bowl, cover the rinsed rice with cold water and set aside.

In a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil. Stir frequently until the onions are dark brown and are beginning to get crisp around the edges, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. If you like, you can line the plate with a paper towel to absorb some of the olive oil, but this is part of the flavoring of the mujaddara.

While the onions are cooking, stir the lentils, a good pinch of salt, and the 4 ½ cups of water together in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the rice, rinse once again, and add to the lentils. Stir once, replace the lid, and cook for another 15 minutes.

Remove the pot of lentils and rice from the heat and rest, still covered, for another 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cumin, and fluff with a fork.

To serve, spoon the onions over the rice and lentils. Serves 6 to 8, depending how hungry they are!

Orecchiette with Lentils and Mushrooms

Recipes for lentils and pasta are found all over Italy. Like the mujaddara, combining lentils with a grain produces a whole protein, so this is a great vegetarian meal.

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 ounces cremini or “baby bella” mushrooms, chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
4 cups water
2 cups tomato puree
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
10 ounces orecchiette pasta (or small shells if they don’t have orecchiette)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Extra olive oil and parsley for garnish

Directions

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms are caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the garlic to the pot and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the rinsed lentils and red pepper flakes along with the tomato puree and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the pasta and a good pinch of salt to the lentils and stir well, increasing the heat to bring the pot back to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat again and simmer for about until the pasta is cooked and the liquid is reduced, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

To serve, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and parsley. Serves 4.

Marinated Lentil Salad

This is a bright summer salad that is great for lunch or dinner. Make sure to use really ripe tomatoes.

Ingredients

2 cups brown lentils
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 large shallot, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
¼ olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
A handful of fresh herbs, roughly chopped (this is a great way to use those leftover herbs from other recipes)
Perfectly ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
Fresh goat cheese, chevre, or feta, crumbled as a garnish

Directions

Place the lentils, crushed garlic cloves, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils and rinse with warm water.

Pour the drained lentils into a large bowl and add in the shallots, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes to let the lentils get happy. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the sliced red onions and let sit for another 15 minutes.

To serve, stir in the roughly chopped herbs and spoon lentil mixture over the sliced tomatoes. Top with crumbled cheese. If you like, drizzle with a little more vinegar and oil. Serves 4 to 6.

Lee’s Lentil Soup

This is my absolute FAVORITE way to eat lentils. I would request this for my birthday every year, and while no one in my family loves it as much as I do (ingrates, the lot of them!), I make it at least once just to make myself happy.

Ingredients

1 pound lentils, rinsed

4 cups water

1 yellow onion, peeled and diced

3 to 5 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 to 4 leeks, white part only, cut in half lengthwise, rinsed well, and sliced into half moons

1 large green bell pepper, diced

6 Roma tomatoes, diced

12 ounces bacon, diced and cooked crisp

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

3 cups beef broth

1 cup cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

Place the lentils and water into a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer. While the lentils are cooking, chop up the bacon and start to render it in a large skillet or saute pan. While the lentils cook and the bacon is crisping, chop up the vegetables.

Once the bacon is crispy, add the vegetables to the bacon and saute in the bacon fat. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables are softened, add to the lentils.