lentils are cooked like you would any bean/legume.....you don't have to soak them which makes it nice for a quick unplanned meal....I love any kind of bean/pea but lentils are not a favorite....

I'm allergic to them, so I can't help you. :)

jasdip, I have never used lentils, but often mix black beans and rice with ground beef.

Just cook the beans till "mashable" and mix with beef. I make burgers and meatloaf this way.

Crap, I may not like them either, if you guys don't care for them! :)
Ruthie, I just boil them in lots of water till tender?

salgal, hubby made his Texas chili this weekend. Very spicy! I gave him a can of black beans to put in and they were awesome. That's going to be a regular addition to the beans. We eat it over rice. I'm wanting to add lentils to meals like this and cut down the meat.

Lentils are great in chili!

You can sub lentils for any beans~~if you are mixing them with meat, I do no think you have to mash them~~~but I could be wrong. Goggle them, they are also great in salads.

I go to a burger place in Redlands, California that makes a beet burger it is wonderful. My DD#2's BF has learned how to recreate it at home YUMMY! Just experiment with it, black bean burgers are good too~~MorningStar makes them.

My DD#2 also makes several items with garbonza beans, she made a gravy with them for her Thanksgiving meatless meal.

I love lentils. These days I often make lentil soup with carrots, onions, and celery + herbs, adding garlic instead of the smoked ham hocks I used to use a long time ago.

For lentils and rice, I highly recommend Mjadra, a delicious Lebanese dish that I made often when my kids were growing up. Here's a recipe. It's not the one I used, but it's close. We served the hot Mjadra with cold salad on top--the salad made with lettuce, tomatoes, scallions and whatever else you like, plus finely chopped mint. The dressing contained olive oil and fresh lemon juice. This is a wonderful dish.

I had mjadra at a Lebanese restaurant this past weekend. I asked for a small plate to see what theirs was like. They were so nice....didn't charge me for it. It was great. They served it with crisply fried very thinly sliced onions on top.

I have never used them to extend meat. I love lentil soup/stew like my mother made.

Moni

Take whatever amount of lentils you want to cook and search them for "funny stuff" to dispose of. Dirt clumps, other "seeds" etc.

Next, cook five or six bacon strips (unless you are not a bacon eater), or a little bit of oil, olive, grapeseed or whatever cooking oil you have, margarine and butter could also be substituted, but melted.

Take the fatty substance and heat it. Put about one or two chopped potatoes, and two finely sliced carrots, a garlic clove either chopped or pressed through a press, about a quarter cup of finely chopped onion and saute all that in the hot fatty substance.

When this approaches brown, or it starts sticking, or the bottom of the pan is getting brown, season with salt and pepper, pour the lentils in, and follow with water. You can use chicken or beef broth for a WHOLE lot better flavor, or you can use chicken cubes, you know, the flavoring cubes.

The amount of water depends on the amount of the other ingredients you used. Sorry, no fail save method here. That is why my lentil soup is kinda runny, or kinda dry at times.

cook for about 30 to 45 minutes on low heat. Stir often, to keep from having it burn in, and to keep checking on the moisture level. If needed, add more water.

I also really like to add a little bit of vinegar (a couple of table spoons) just at serving time. Brings out the flavor.

Sometimes I start the whole process by browning a piece of chicken in the pot and later cutting it up in to the soup.

For hot dogs eaters, you could simmer some in the soup for the last ten minutes...

The abreviations you could do are endless. :)
Be creative!

I love lentils, and especially Jane Brody's lentil soup.

But tell me about mixing mashed black beans with hamburger. Do you taste the beans? (I like them, but others of my family don't.)

There are so many applications for lentils. I recommend NOT cooking them in plain water. Add some veggies (onion, celery, carrot) and a bay leaf for more flavor.

A quick search on food network dot com will provide you with a bunch of recipes. I have one for a lemony lentil salad with cucumbers and feta cheese that is really good.

Lentils are wonderul but I've never used them as extender. I eat them on their own!

I have to admit that I have not eaten them for many years. My mom made lentil soup and to me it was like eating dirt. Everyone else in the family enjoyed it though. Satine

I have to admit that I have not eaten them for many years. My mom made lentil soup and to me it was like eating dirt. Everyone else in the family enjoyed it though. Satine

I love lentil soup. I am a vegetarian and follow a recipe using spices and veggies to give the soup a whole lot of flavor. I add red wine vinegar to ever bowl of it I serve.

Hi jassy,

If you go to several countries where lentils are popular and mention Saskatchewan ...

... faces light up: they know that place, as one of the world's largest producers of lentils.

Sorry - don't got a recipe for ya.

(But I bet that the Dept. of Agriculture of the Gov't of Saskatchewan would have).
o j

I've added black beans to burgers and meat loaf and I defy anyone to be able taste them. I love lentils and add them to all kinds of soups and stews...not as a meat extender.....yet. No good reason, just that I haven't thought of it while tossing things together.

I have to google lentils and see what they look like heard about them for years

You can also use them as a meat replacement and not just an extender. I usually simmer them with lots of spices and use them for meatless wraps or tacos. You can add whatever condiments you would normally use, cheese, sour cream, salsa, onions, tomatoes, etc. Very tasty, and healthy.

We make lentil soup all the time, you make it as thick or thin as you'd like. My recipe is like Alisande's. Never tried mixing them with meat, but it sounds like it would be good. We like all kinds of beans, I think.

I've used them in craft projects, too, like the faux bean jar that is actually a hidey-hole for jewelry or money. ;)

I use about 1 cup of dry black beans with a pound of meat. Cook beans until soft. I then just mash with a fork. Fold the beans in meat along with some finely chopped onions and peppers. I like to season with salt, black pepper, garlic and usually a little chili powder

Make into delicious burgers!