Pantry Clean Out: Lentils
Learn how to cook lentils, plus 7 delicious lentil recipes
Last week we talked about dried beans and this week it’s all about lentils. You might have some lentils sitting in your pantry that need to be cooked. Or, maybe, you’re looking for an affordable, healthy protein option in the new year. That’s lentils!
Let’s nerd out for a minute: Lentils, beans and peas are all separate members of the legume family. Plants in the legume family have pods filled with seeds. The edible seeds that come from the plant are called pulses. This edible seed, or pulse, is the dried lentil, bean or pea that you buy at the grocery store.
I’d always thought that eastern Washington and northern Idaho (areas where I grew up) produced the most lentils in the US. It turns out that Montana is our largest producer. Worldwide, Canada and India grow the most lentils.
Lentils grow on a delicate green plant with tiny white flowers and little pods filled with lentils. Lentils naturally dry while still in the field so they don’t need to be dried after being harvested.
Lentils cook faster than beans and don’t need to be soaked beforehand. You can use an Instant Pot or a pot on the stove to cook lentils.
Red lentils
Red lentils break down when cooked and will have a very soft, creamy (mushy) texture. Find detailed cooking instructions here.
Instant Pot: Combine 1 cup lentils with 2 cups water. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
Stove top: Combine 1 cup lentils with 3 cups water. Or, just make sure there is about 2 to 3 inches of water above the lentils. The cooking time is between 5 to 12 minutes.
If you’re making red lentil soup, you'll need to add more water or broth. Most red lentil soup recipes call for anywhere between 4 to 8 cups of water/broth.
Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup with Parmesan Chickpeas
Black lentils
Glossy, black lentils hold their shape really well when cooked. They are perfect for cold salads. You can find detailed cooking instructions here.
Instant Pot: Add 1 ¾ cups water for every 1 cup black lentils. Cook 8 minutes for a tender texture.
Stovetop: Add 3 cups water for every 1 cup black lentils. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Black lentil salad with sweet potatoes
Brown/green lentils
Brown and green lentils don’t break down as much as red lentils but don’t hold their shape as well as black lentils. When I cook brown or green lentils it’s almost always for soup.
Instant Pot lentil soup with sausage (very flavorful, made with ground Italian sausage)
Homemade lentil soup (made from a roasted vegetable puree)
Crock Pot lentil soup (a simple, easy soup)
Lentil sloppy Joes (the same comforting flavor as regular Sloppy Joes, but with healthy lentils instead of meat)
Lentil bolognese (A high-protein vegan meal that uses lentils and mushrooms to make a flavorful pasta bolognese)
Dinner Last Week
I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? Here’s what my crew ate last week.
Monday: I know New Year’s day seems like eons ago, but it was only last Monday. I had a batch of homemade veggie burgers in the freezer, which meant the only thing I had to cook for dinner was a bag of frozen french fries from Trader Joe’s. It might not have been the most festive or traditional New Year’s Day dinner, but it worked for us.
Tuesday: I made a simple and light dinner out of what we had on hand: frozen egg rolls, shredded cabbage, sliced cucumbers and cellophane noodles that we wrapped in rice wrappers. Later that night we all munched on popcorn for a snack.
Wednesday: As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, my goal this month is to use up all the dried beans in my pantry. I pulled out a small bag of dried black eyed peas and cooked them in my Instant Pot (1 cup beans, 3 cups water & 1/4 teaspoon salt for 12 minutes). Then I added vegetable broth, chopped cabbage and a small can of tomato puree and cooked the ingredients for 5 minutes more. The result was a simple but satisfying soup. (My kids only ate small bowls of the soup and also filled up on a side dish of white rice with butter).
You could make a similar soup from canned white beans using this recipe).
Thursday: This time of year our avocado tree provides an embarrassment of riches. By the time the season is over we are almost tired of eating avocados, which seems impossible but can actually happen when you start the day with avocado toast and end it with guacamole.
For the next month, we’ll be eating tacos and guac every week for dinner so these luscious avocados don’t go to waste.
Friday: Leftovers! We went to a late matinee of The Boy and the Heron and afterwards ate a random dinner of leftovers and cheese with crackers.
Cookbooks
America’s Test Kitchen churns out a lot of recipes. As a result, they also publish a lot of cookbooks. If you scan the cookbook section of your local library you’re bound to find at least one ATK cookbook. I found Five Ingredient Dinners at the library last weekend when the kids and I were at our library. I like this cookbook because it’s focused and isn’t stuffed with too many recipes (some American Test Kitchen cookbooks include hundreds).
You’ll find dinner recipes that use 5 ingredients and mostly have short, straightforward instructions. The chicken chapter has a lot of options. I also bookmarked a few fish and pasta recipes, like miso sea bass and skillet tortellini with sausage.
Hope you have a good holiday weekend! The kids and I are driving to Arizona to see my parents who are wintering in a warmer climate. We didn’t travel for the holidays so I’m looking forward to getting out of town for a few days.
Jenny
P.S. If you’re starting the new year with plant based eating, check out Six Hungry Feet for vegetarian and vegan recipes with global flavors.