red lentils

MrsE_2

JackieO wrote: »

great things for streeeeetching out the meat a bit.I use them in soups stews,cottage pies,lasagnes ,spag bol almost everything i can .excellant protien source and helps out the budget

Guess they are a low cal filler too;)

adelight

Soup, curry, stew/casserole, spag bol, burgers, salads, for breakfast with sausages and mustard mmmm!
Red lentils are particularly good for soups and stews as they're quite soft once cooked, lentils vertes(dark green) stay quite hard and are delicious in cold salads. They're great for replacing/bulking minced meat and side dishes.

Hippeechiq

This

carriebradshaw wrote: »

I love this recipe it's very moreish I sometimes use a mixture of split peas and lentils instead of just lentils,tastes just as good to me :j

Cheese & Lentil Loaf


150g cheese, grated (I use cheddar or red leicester) up to you to use what you like really though
225g red lentils,rinsed well and cooked
100g porridge oats or breadcrumbs
100g mushrooms, finely chopped
100g mixed peppers, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 large carrots, or parsnips or 1 of each grated,
1 beaten egg
a good handful of chopped herbs I use mainly thyme & a little bit of rosemary(not too much Rosemary it can taste soapy) from my garden,but have also used mint and parsley as I grow those as well.You would use less if using dried herbs as they are stronger so I’m told

salt & pepper to your taste

Pre-heat oven to 180c & line your loaf tin with greasproof paper then grease the paper or it will stick
Cook lentils in 500ml water until soft and have absorbed most of the water.
In another pan with a small amount of oil,gently soften onions & peppers,add garlic,mushrooms & grated carrots and cook for a few more mins then tip it all into a large bowl
Add the lentils, cheese,oats & herbs & mix well, season with salt and pepper,and stir in the beaten egg.
Pour into lined 2lb loaf tin bake for 30-40 mins, until top is golden.
Remove from oven and place a plate over the top,then a heavy weight or some tins on top of that to press for about 15mins –half an hour.This will make it easier/firmer to turn out and slice up.

Then turn out onto a plate, peel off the paper and slice up how you want it and eat.

I love this served hot with some veggies or cold with salad, would be nice with some tattie wedges or chips too I should imagine.

It's divine

Pink.

I add red lentils to soups, casseroles and stews, they tend to disolve so are good for thickening too.

This thread has lots of suggestions that may help:

red lentils

I'll add your thread to it once you've had more replies.

These threads may help too:

Puy Lentils - any ideas?

Lentils

Lentilles vertes and puy (green) lentils

What can i/do i do with these lentils ?

What to do with lentils?

Lentils

Pink

midnightraven3

like the others i add red lentils to spag bol etc
i use quorn mince, and so it makes it more substantial for son (hollow legs)

i use the green for soup
they make amazing soup, just fling in a handful or 2
it makes any soup a "winter soup" (does that make sense??)
a proper hearty soup

i did make some 2 days ago
i had some veg that was looking rather sad and wanted to use it up
flung it all in a pot, some stock, and some lentils
cooked it

when i came to serve i thought thats a bit thick
added water, heated again & served

put some aside for my mother (she lives alone)
and still had loads
it was like the replenishing porridge pot:rotfl:

red lentils are nice in meals
but if you want a mega hearty & filling soup, use the green ones
(i get a hooge bag in tesco)

my son can eat BIG meals
but even he is properly full after a bowl of that & a homemade roll
a VERY cheap meal, and very satisfying, especially on a winters day
they love coming in to that as its quick & easy to re heat

incensicle

Brown lentils (cooked till they still have a little bit of bite to them)added to sauted courgettes. Add lots of olive oil and masses of black pepper and toss through spagetti.

xrjtg

Red pepper and lentil soup has become a bit of a staple for me. Fry onions, celery, carrots, red pepper and garlic in a big pan (I add them as I chop them so they go in that order and the garlic doesn't get fried enough to go bitter) then add herbs (I use the oregano-heavy Tesco value mixed), stock (Marigold stock powder), red lentils and some combination of passata and chopped tomatoes. In then just needs boiling until the lentils are cooked. I have used a pressure cooker, but the lentils can stick to the bottom of the pan and burn if you haven't added enough liquid, so take care.

It might also be worth just cooking (in stock?) and eating some lentils to see what you think of them. It took me ages to try this with some green lentils, but they're actually quite nice.

MrsE_2

midnightraven3 wrote: »

they make amazing soup, just fling in a handful or 2
it makes any soup a "winter soup" (does that make sense??)
a proper hearty soup

It makes perfect sense;)

Thats exactly what I was hoping they would do to soups.

Need to make some healthy low fat veg soups for us for work (he can take his in a thermos & its something nice & hot for him), but a soup never quite feels like a meal to me.
But I thought with lentils it might:D

MrsE_2

xrjtg wrote: »

Red pepper and lentil soup has become a bit of a staple for me. Fry onions, celery, carrots, red pepper and garlic in a big pan (I add them as I chop them so they go in that order and the garlic doesn't get fried enough to go bitter) then add herbs (I use the oregano-heavy Tesco value mixed), stock (Marigold stock powder), red lentils and some combination of passata and chopped tomatoes. In then just needs boiling until the lentils are cooked. I have used a pressure cooker, but the lentils can stick to the bottom of the pan and burn if you haven't added enough liquid, so take care.

It might also be worth just cooking (in stock?) and eating some lentils to see what you think of them. It took me ages to try this with some green lentils, but they're actually quite nice.

I haven't read the packet yet, but I assumed I would have to presoak or even preboil (like other bean type stuff) then.
Happy days that I can just throw them in:j

Your soup sounds great, I love red peppers.

Butterfly_Brain

Soup, Meatloaf, stews, shepherds pie, curry