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Lentils: The 4 Best Recipes

Lentils are a versatile food that is usually only known for soups and stews in this country. In our recipes, we will show you that the low-fat protein supplier has all sorts more to offer.

High-protein recipe: lentil spread with curry

The red lentils used in this recipe not only impress with their short cooking time. They are also rich in protein, fiber, and valuable B vitamins.

  • Ingredients for 4 people: 60 g red lentils, some olive oil, 2 shallots, 40 g feta cheese, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1/2 organic lemon, 2 pinches of curry powder, and spices to taste (salt, pepper).
  • Cook the lentils in a sufficient amount of unsalted water for about 15 minutes. Then drain them and wash them off briefly under cold water.
  • Once you have peeled and diced the shallots, sauté them in a pan with the oil for about 2-3 minutes until translucent.
  • Now chop the feta cheese, onions, and lentils in a bowl with a hand blender. Add the parsley, the spices, the grated zest of the lemon, and its juice and mix well.
  • Fresh spelled bread goes well with this. Our tip: If you prefer the spread a little fruitier, you can replace the cream cheese with pureed pineapple.

A dish for the whole family: legume burgers

Fresh, homemade burgers taste great for adults and children alike. Instead of making them from meat as usual, use lentils in this recipe.

  • Ingredients for 4 people: 150 g green lentils, 1 large vegetable onion, 2 carrots, 2 eggs, 60 g wheat semolina, some rapeseed oil for frying, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 pinch of ground coriander, spices to taste (salt, pepper), 4 burger buns, 2 tomatoes, lettuce leaves for the garnish and spicy tomato sauce.
  • Put the lentils in a sieve and wash them well under running water. Then put the legumes in a pot with enough unsalted water, bring them to a boil and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, peel the carrots and onion, chop them up and then add them to the lentils.
  • Cook the whole thing for about ten minutes. At the end of the cooking time, pour everything into a colander, rinse with cold water and let everything drain.
  • Place the vegetables in a bowl and use a hand blender to blend them into a homogeneous mass. Mix well, adding eggs, semolina, coriander, parsley, pepper, and salt to taste. Now you can form about four burgers of the same size.
  • Heat the oil in the pan and fry the patties for about 10 minutes on both sides. Please turn carefully at the beginning.
  • Tip. For crispy burger buns, you can toast them on a toaster.
  • In the meantime, wash the lettuce and pat it dry. Rinse the tomatoes and cut them into thin slices.
  • Then spread both halves of the bun with tomato sauce and cover them with the lettuce, the tomatoes, and the finished lentil burgers.

Gourmet recipe for connoisseurs: Duck breast on a lentil and pear salad with red cabbage and walnuts

This lentil recipe can be created easily and without much effort. Nevertheless, you can leave a lasting impression on your guests.

  • Ingredients for 4 people: 2 fresh duck breast fillets (350-400 g each), 50 g chopped walnuts, 300 g Puy lentils for the lentil salad, 1 l vegetable stock, pepper, salt, apple cider vinegar and for the red cabbage 600 g red cabbage, 75 ml red wine (dry), 75 ml red balsamic vinegar, 50 g raisins, 1 red onion, 1 tbsp clarified butter, one cinnamon sticks each and one bay leaf, 2 cloves, 2 pears, 1 tbsp honey, and some lemon juice.
  • Add the Puy lentils to the boiling vegetable stock and simmer over low heat until the legumes are al dente. Then pour off the liquid, except for a little residue, mix everything with pepper, salt, and a little vinegar and let the lentils cool down.
  • In the meantime, you can soak the raisins in lukewarm water. Now free the red cabbage from the outer leaves, quarter it and remove the stalk. Then cut the vegetables into thin strips.
  • Fry the finely chopped onion in hot clarified butter, briefly add the red cabbage, and deglaze with vinegar and wine. After adding the spices, mix everything together and cook the vegetables over moderate heat for about 30 minutes.
  • You can now wash, peel, quarter, and core the pears. Then they are cut into narrow strips.
  • Remove the red cabbage from the stove and remove the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Now mix the pears, honey, lemon juice, and sieved raisins into the vegetables and taste.
  • Preheat the oven. 220 degrees top and bottom heat are sufficient.
  • Wash the meat, pat dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. The duck breasts are first fried on the skin side, without adding oil until they are golden brown. Then turn them over and fry them on the other side for about a minute.
  • Then put the meat in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until it is pink on the inside.
  • Meanwhile, mix the red cabbage, lentils, and nuts, taste everything again and arrange the salad on the plates provided.
  • Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest briefly before slicing. After arranging the pink duck breasts on the salad, you can serve the dish immediately.

From the oven: cauliflower casserole with protein powder

For this dish, too, we use the nutty-tasting Puy lentils, which impress with their good consistency when cooked.

  • Ingredients for 2 people: 400 g cauliflower without the stalk, 100 g lentils, 0.5 l vegetable stock, 75 g butter, 1 shallot, 1 heaped tablespoon of flour, 50 ml white wine (preferably dry), 200 ml milk, 50 g grated cheese, some nutmeg, lemon juice, spices to taste (pepper and salt).
  • Wash the lentils in a sieve under running water and cook them in the hot vegetable stock for 15 minutes. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and drain the rest. Now put the legumes with the vegetable stock and some butter in the casserole dish.
  • During the next step, you can preheat the oven to around 180 degrees Celsius.
  • The washed cauliflower florets are blanched in salt water for about 2 minutes and then quenched. After draining, they can be spread on the lentils.
  • Put butter in a saucepan and heat it up. Add the diced shallot and sauté until translucent. Add the flour while stirring, then pour off the white wine and mix the sauce with a whisk. Now slowly add the milk and stir until smooth. Let the whole thing simmer for a quarter of an hour on low heat. Occasional stirring is enough.
  • Season the sauce with nutmeg, lemon juice, pepper, and salt and spread over the cauliflower and lentils. After you sprinkle the cheese over the casserole, put the casserole dish in the oven for about 30 minutes.

 

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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