What to do with lentils?

msmicawber

You can make shepherd's pie using lentils and other vegetables such as carrots and celery as the 'mince'. Other things I make are lentil soup, lentil rissoles, dhal to go with hot curries; sometimes I add them to stews - I'm sure I'll think of more later!

joggyb

dal is great for using red lentils

I used to make (like, hundreds of years ago) a red lentil bolognaise - that was pretty tasty. Give a shout if you want the recipe, and I'll delve into my darkest, deepest archives :eek: to see if I find it

ems_2-2

could I have the receipe for the red lentil bolognase pls coz I'm trying to get my vege dd to eat something other than pasta! can this be frozen? as I tend to batch bake her meals

Thanx

Ems:beer:

rubytuesday

Lentil and red pepper sauce
Fry onion and red pepper
Add lentils and stock
tin of tomatoes
Tomatoe puree
COOK

Sorry quantities guess work when I make it

joggyb

OK, here we go - as I remember, the red lentil bol recipe came out of a student recipe book, so isn't exactly the height of great cuisine. Personally, I prefer the second recipe - there's more to it, and I just think it's all the nicer for it. Serve both with parmesan as with meat bol sauce.

Red lentil bol (serves 2)

2 small onions
6oz (told you it was from the archives!) red lentils
6oz spaghetti
2 tablespoons tomato puree
few mushrooms, finely chopped
oil for frying

Fry onion and lentils in a little oil for 5 mins, or until the onion starts going brown. Add just enough water to cover the lentils, and cook until water is absorbed (10-15mins).

Cook the spaghetti. Add the puree and mushrooms to the lentil mixture. Add enough water to make a sauce. Cook for a few more minutes, and serve.

But better, and 'meatier' is the Brown lentil bolognaise

This uses those lentils that are a brown-green in colour

Recipe (for 4)

8oz brown lentils
2 onions
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots, finely diced
1 green pepper, diced
8oz mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato puree OR 1 tin tomatoes
dash chilli powder
1 tsp oregano
salt + pepper
12oz spaghetti

1. Cook dried lentils in plenty of water, until tender (about 20mins)
2. Retain liquid after draining
3. Brown onions in oil, then add garlic, carrots, pepper, and mushrooms. Cover and cook until tender.
4. Add lentils, tomato puree, seasoning, and a little of the reserved liquid to make a thick, soft consistency.
5. Cook spaghetti
6. Serve!

lillydrip

Just had a lovely dinner that went down well with everyone, combined some of the ideas so used roasted garlic (Seb1's idea), fried bacon bits (Divorcingjack's idea), with red lentils and barley in a shepherds pie (Msmicawber's idea). Thanks again everyone YUMMY!:j

divorcingjack

Sounds good lilly!

Glad you enjoyed it, I'm off to have some soup for tea!

dj :j

carrottopsuk

lillydrip wrote:

I need help, my mums cupboards are chocca block with things she just does not use. For example ages ago she got carried away and brought loads of lentils after watching You Are What You Eat, the thing is she has never even opened the packets.

So... can anyone think of tasty meals we can make to help use up:
Red split lentils
Aduki Beans
Pearl Barley

If you want to use up the Adzuki beans, you can make Red Dragon Pie. It is delicious. I like it served with tomato sauce on the side. You can find different variations of the recipe by googling Red Dragon Pie. I really recommend that you try it.

You may find yourself buying more beans to make more!