Two Simple Lentil Recipes

Easy Dinner Recipes to Feed a Crowd

Oct 21, 2009 Linda Gentile

Lentils are warming, nutritious and won't break the bank. Lentil recipes are very easy to prepare and can form the basis of healthy, easy dinner recipes.

It's easy to change these two easy dinner recipes featuring lentils to adapt them to smaller and larger families, more or fewer leftovers; just halve or double the amounts. The cook can replace most of the green vegetables with what's on hand in the kitchen and what his family likes to eat. These easy dinner solutions are made for experimentation and should not be seen as rigid.

Lentil and Cheese Bake Easy Dinner Recipe

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups lentils
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/8 teaspoon sage
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme
• 2 large onions
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 1 16oz can tomatoes
• 2-3 carrots
• 2-3 sticks celery
• 1 green pepper
• 3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Dice onions and garlic.
3. In bowl, combine lentils, water, bay leaf, salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, onions, garlic and tomatoes. Mix well.
4. Transfer to shallow roasting pan or dish.
5. Set timer for 30 minutes.
6. While food is baking, cut carrots into thin rounds and chop celery.
7. When timer goes off, remove baking pan from onion and mix in celery and carrots.
8. Set timer for 40 minutes.
9. Remove seeds from pepper and chop.
10. When timer goes off, add pepper and sprinkle cheese on top of bake.
11. Bake until cheese has melted (approximately five minutes).
12. Serve.
13. Leftovers can be frozen and freshened up with extra cheese.

Lentils and Ground Beef Easy Dinner Recipe

While this recipe calls for ground beef, any ground meat will work. Try it with ground turkey for a milder flavor.

This dinner recipe burns easily so must be watched constantly.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups lentils
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 medium onions
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 tablespoons rice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ginger

Method:

1. In a saucepan, boil 1 quart water.
2. While water is heating, chop onions and garlic.
3. When water is boiling, add lentils.
4. Set timer for 20 minutes.
5. Melt the butter in a skillet.
6. Saute onions and garlic until slightly translucent.
7. Add ground beef and brown it.
8. If timer for lentils goes off before beef is browned, take lentils off heat.
9. Drain lentils, but keep cooking water.
10. Take 2 1/3 cups cooking water and dissolve bouillon cubes in it.
11. Once the beef is browned (i.e. no pink is showing), drain excess fat.
12. Add the cooking water and simmer for 10 minutes.
13. Stir in lentils, rice, sugar, cumin and ginger.
14. Add salt and pepper to taste.
15. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring periodically.
16. If water has evaporated and rice and lentils are not yet tender, add more lentil cooking water.
17. When water is absorbed and lentils and rice are tender, the meal is cooked.
18. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed
19. Serve.
20. Leftovers can be frozen and enlivened with a little shredded cheese.

The copyright of the article Two Simple Lentil Recipes in Recipes is owned by Linda Gentile. Permission to republish Two Simple Lentil Recipes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Lentils and Cheese Easy Dinner Recipe

Lentils and Beef Easy Dinner Recipe

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