I agree about cooking at home with raw lentils only. You can cook the lentils in a separate pot while sauteing vegetables in another one, then put the two together, to save time. I think soaking them also shortens cooking time considerably, but have done it only once, just a matter of habit. I use the green-brown lentils.

Lentil soup is a staple in my house, a bit dull but very comforting. The recipe can vary, but generally I sautee an onion, a couple of stalks of celery, a few carrots, a potato or two, perhaps a couple of cloves of garlic, all of this chopped beforehand of course, and the vegetables added one at a time. My fat is olive oil. I cook the lentils in water with salt and a bay leaf or two, and recently I've been adding 2-3 tsps. of ground paprika, which adds a bit of flavor and gives the soup a rich dark look. Once I've done sauteing the vegetables I add the lentils and cooking water to them and add some herbs, usually sage or oregano or parsley, then cook until tender. If you're a meat eater a ham bone would be great. The recipe is not rigid at all. I usually serve the soup with brown rice, started with the lentils. This is great food if you're feeling a bit malnourished.

My other staple lentil recipe is dal, and I use the recipe in The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two. There are all kinds of things you can do with lentils, but these are my basic recipes.

I, too, cook lentils from scratch at home. I soak them overnight (even red lentils). I cook a huge pot - just lentils in water and nothing else - divide into serving portions, and freeze. I like them best with just salt and freshly ground black pepper, but they can be spiced up many ways. Sometimes I heat a portion and while it's heating I briefly fry garlic in olive oil wth chili flakes, Or paprika + cumin briefly fried in olive oil - whatever you fancy.

I've tried lentils a few times--canned soup and home made soups made with dried lentils. Just don't care for them. Maybe I would like them if I had grown up eating them but just can't acquire a taste for them. Pinto beans is our go-to dried bean staple. (And, yeh, I know lentils aren't 'beans'.)

I've never soaked lentils--they only take half an hour to 45 min to cook anyway.

My most usual way is to sauté an onion in a little olive oil, add cumin and other spices, add the lentils and broth/water. Then about ten minutes before they're done, add cut up chard or kale on top, then mix it all together when everything is done. I think it's best to add salt at the end, since it makes them cook slower. I also like mujadarra very much.

I'm at the point in my life where I'd be far more upset if I had to stop eating lentils than if I had to stop eating beef.

Lentils cook quickly. Last time I made dal using black lentils.

I subbed fresh serrano for the ground chile powder.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/03/black-lentil-dal/

I use canned lentils in bean soups I make in the winter. SO good! They're also outstanding on top of lettuce with a poached egg on top and a hot vinegar dressing - had this in Paris - TDF!

I also make lentils here, they cook quickly. Like Cilantro, I grew up on beans, although mine were Great Northern instead of pinto. Lentils have a different texture which took a while for me to get used to, but now I like them. Not as well as beans, but they're OK. I mostly use them in this vegetable stew, which I found on a blog called "Chocolate Covered Katie". She says the lemon is "important", but my mother is allergic to lemon so I leave it out. Actually I add or subtract vegetables at will, depending on what's on hand and what needs to be used up. I usually add eggplant and sometimes leave out the mushrooms.

Million Vegetable Stew

• 1.5 cups chopped onion
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil (If desired, you can get away with 1 tbsp. Technically you can omit; it will just be better and more flavorful with the oil
• 1 1/2 cups bell peppers, sliced or diced
• 4-6 carrots, sliced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 6 cups sliced mushrooms Any variety will do; feel free to mix and match
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/3 cup dry lentils
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 quart canned tomatoes (I used home canned, you can use two 15 oz. cans)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 5oz box raw spinach
• 1 1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest (important)

Heat a large saucepan, then add the oil and onion. Sauté 5 minutes, until onions begin to brown. Add the garlic, peppers, carrots, and celery, and cook 5 more minutes. Then add everything else up to the cumin, and cook 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Now add all but the spinach and lemon zest. (If you have a crockpot, you can transfer the ingredients to your crockpot at this time.) Cover and cook on low until the lentils are soft and have absorbed most of the liquid– it takes about an hour on the stovetop. Time will vary if you use a slow cooker, depending on the strength and size of your particular crock pot. Add spinach and lemon at the very end, and cook 2-3 minutes until the spinach wilts.

8 servings

I also make these, again leaving out the lemon because of Mother. It's good with the lemon, but doesn't suffer from leaving it out.

Armenian Lentils

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup lentils
• 1/4 cup bulgur

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup plain yogurt

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat; cook and stir the onion in the oil until caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes; set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil in a pan over medium heat; add the lentils. Return mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low; simmer until the lentils get soupy, about 15 minutes. Stir in the bulgur, salt, and pepper; simmer until water is completely absorbed, about 10 minutes; stir in the caramelized onions. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Divide lentils into 4 even portions; squeeze one lemon wedge over each portion and top with green onions and yogurt.

I also regularly add them to chili or toss a handful into a vegetable soup.

Annie

They're great with sausages. Cook lentils with the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaf etc. Cook your sausages as usual and add them to the cooking lentils. Eat with lots of mustard.Often here, semi salted pork is cooked with the lentils too.

Also cold, they make a great salad. Add some diced tomatoes and a vinaigrette make with sherry vinegar and mustard.

interesting comments... increasing my understanding of and appreciation for lentils. I want to develop a really good soup before the cold of winter hits us once again. What does a recipe with lentils and bean soup look like.

I just bought some more lentils this morning and started a new test. So far I just added some diced roasted red peppers, sauted yellow onion and s&p. Not sure right now what to add or what direction to take it in. Would thinking about a hamburger type of dish be worthwhile.I thought about reducing some walnuts to a powder and adding that to the dish but not sure if that would add anything even though I like walnuts.

Thanks

Paul, this a really good lentil soup. I like to add a handful of Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend the last 10 minutes of cooking. I've made it with chard and spinach. I skip the garlic oil finish ... use all the garlic (and more) in the initial saute.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/01/lentil-soup-with-sausage-chard-and-garlic/

No beans or sausage, but this is a great lentil soup, although not especially pretty:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lentil-and-swiss-chard-soup

And you can make hummus from lentils, too. I think I prefer this to regular hummus:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/green-lentil-hummus

I like green lentils in a salad. Dice a variety of vegetables and toss with lentils and vinaigrette. I like two cups of lentils to one cup of lentils, more or less. Preparing the lentils yourself ensures you have a nice al dente texture.

Re soaking lentils, it's true that lentils cook quickly, but soaking isn't just to shorten the cooking time. It enhances nutritional value and facilitates digestion. I for one prefer the taste and texture of soaked lentils. A couple times I had to cook them in a hurry without soaking, and the taste-texture weren't the same for me.

Funny thing is for years I soaked lentils (and all other pulses) simply because that's what my grandmother used to do, and only later did I run into Grainlady here who referred people to Nourishing Traditions, which explains it all.