Dishes from canned lentils. Brown lentil porridge

Lentils are a healthy and protein-rich product. This legume crop is red, green or brown in color. The cooking time depends on the color. Cook lentils into porridge, meatballs, flatbreads or soup with an exquisite aroma. Beans are also suitable for garnish. You don't know how to cook lentils? It's very simple.

How to cook lentils - general rules

Before cooking a legume, take into account our tips:

• The cooking time depends on the variety. Boil red lentils for 25 to 30 minutes. Green is cooked for 40 minutes, and brown - 20-25 minutes;
• first rinse and sort the lentils well. Sand, dry branches and small stones can come across in it. Remove damaged grains;
• before cooking, be sure to soak the green beans in water for a couple of hours. Soak other varieties as desired;
• taste the dish while cooking. You can get either dry peas or gruel;
• cook the beans over low heat.

Cooking lentils in a pot

Prepare a glass of lentils and two glasses of water. Cooking process:

• pour water into a saucepan;
• put there the washed and sorted lentils;
• turn on a small fire on the stove and wait for it to boil;
• after boiling, pour a spoonful of olive oil into the pan to soften the beans;
• cook for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the type of lentil. Don't forget to stir occasionally;
• add salt to taste 5 minutes before the end of cooking.

Finely chop the greens, season the lentil porridge and serve.

Cooking Brown Lentil Chowder

Prepare:

• 1 st. brown lentils;
• carrots and onions;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 1 sweet pepper;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• fresh parsley, dry basil and marjoram.

Put the washed lentils on the stove to cook in a saucepan. Grate the carrots, cut the pepper into strips and fry with vegetable oil. Add finely chopped onion to the vegetables and fry for a couple of minutes. Look at the beans. If they are almost soft, add fried vegetables to them, salt them. Add boiling water to the saucepan until the consistency of the soup and cook until tender. At the end, put the diced tomatoes without skins, garlic and spices into the stew. Salt and boil for 5 minutes. Sprinkle parsley over a fragrant stew and eat with croutons.

Cooking red lentils in a slow cooker

Prepare the ingredients:

• 1.5 st. red lentils;
• 2.5 st. hot water;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 4 tbsp. spoons of adjika, better than homemade.

Cut carrots into strips, onions into cubes. Set the “Baking” mode in the slow cooker for 20 minutes and fry the carrots and onions in the kitchen appliance for 10 minutes. Add finely chopped garlic and cook for the same amount of time. After the end of the program, add washed lentils to the multicooker and fill with water. Send adjika there, pepper and salt to your taste. Instead of adjika, you can take tomato juice. Cook porridge in the "Pilaf", "Buckwheat" or "Porridge" mode for 50 minutes.

It is a pity that lentils are not very popular in our country. At one time, Rus' was a supplier of legumes and even loaves were made from it. But Asians and Africans are very fond of lentils, because they contain a lot of useful trace elements and vitamins. You have learned how to cook it and you will be able to prepare a delicious dinner for the family.

How to cook lentils correctly? Do I need to soak lentils before cooking? You know, these are the fastest grains in terms of cooking time from the entire legume family. And they don't require soaking before they're cooked. Lentils are a healthy food. It is well compatible with a variety of foods or seasonings, has a high nutritional value, and is available throughout the year. Lentils are nutritious, rich in antioxidants, selenium, vitamins that strengthen the immune system. So, below are cooking tips.

How to cook lentils for a side dish, step by step

• Rinse the grains under running water, sort them out - if necessary, remove crushed, shriveled grains or small debris.
• For 1 cup of dry lentils, 2 - 2.5 cups of water are required.
• Bring the water to a boil, put the washed grains in a saucepan. Don't add salt yet! Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the pan with a lid, but leave it slightly ajar so that the water does not boil away too quickly.
• Check the pot from time to time to make sure the water hasn't sunk below the level of the lentils. Add water as needed.
• When it softens and can be easily mashed with a fork, it is ready. How long to cook lentils without soaking? It usually takes about 30-45 minutes.
• Lentils that have been stored with you for a long time do not lose their nutritional properties, they just take longer to cook.
• Don't mix fresh lentils with old ones. They cook unevenly.
• Grains of red varieties are cooked faster - 20 minutes, no more.
• Salt should be 15 minutes before the end of cooking. If you put salt in the pot at the beginning of cooking, the cooking time will double.

When the lentils are cooked through, turn off the heat. Cover the pot tightly with a lid. Let stand 5-10 minutes. During this time, it will absorb excess water, become juicier, more tender. Actually, this is not necessary, but I do it - I like it better.

What do lentils eat with, what is it compatible with, what spices

• Add diced potatoes - they will take the same amount of time to cook as lentils. You may have to add water in this case, but you can do this during the cooking process.
• Add spices along with salt. Curry powder, ground cumin, garlic, ground red pepper, cilantro all pair well with lentils. Spices can be added at any time, but the sooner, the more seasoned taste and aroma your dish will acquire.
• Lentils are usually used to make soups and stews. Green or brown varieties keep their shape quite well. If they are not digested, then they can be added, for example, to salads. For these purposes, it is enough to cook it for 10-15 minutes.
• Cooked lentils can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Lentils do no harm

Lentils, like any legumes, cause ... flatulence in many people. Add 1-2 cloves to the water - this problem will not affect you. In addition, cloves will add a subtle flavor to your lentils that will perfectly fit into the taste of the finished dish.

Useful properties of lentils

Like other legumes, lentils contain anti-carcinogenic substances of plant origin, rich in protein, iron, folic acid, fiber, which is very beneficial for the digestive system and heart. The high protein content makes it an excellent meat substitute.

Lentils come in different varieties, the main difference is in the color of the grains. Red is by far the fastest to cook and is often used in Indian cuisine. However, green, brown varieties are more nutritious than red ones.

One of the titled queens of dietary and healthy nutrition is lentils. This is the most ancient type of legume, people have been eating it with pleasure since the Bronze Age, i.e. 4000 BC

This product is rich in amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Vegetarians equate it with meat due to its high vegetable protein content.

This type of grain has an amazing property: lentils do not absorb and do not accumulate harmful toxic substances found in the soil, so it can be safely called an environmentally friendly product.

This product is also an excellent source of iron. In order for this iron to be well absorbed, it must be served with a salad of greens and fresh vegetables rich in vitamin C. This cereal also contributes to the production of serotonin, the hormone of joy.

You can read a lot about the amazing benefits of lentils, however, you should remember that this product is hard to digest by the body. If cooked incorrectly, a healthy dish can cause bloating and disruption of the digestive tract.

How to avoid negative consequences? It is necessary to pre-soak the grains in water for several hours, just in ordinary cold water, without salt or soda.

Soaking time depends on how much time has passed since harvest. If you bought lentils from the store, soak them in water at least overnight. During the soaking process, the grains absorb water and almost double in size. In the morning, drain the water, rinse the grains and put them on a slow fire.

The water should cover the grits by two centimeters (about two fingers). During cooking, you can add a little seasoning, such as bay leaf, and olive oil.

How to cook delicious lentils for a side dish

Lentils are a very nutritious product, you are guaranteed a feeling of satiety and energy for a productive day. And yet, a nice bonus, this product helps to improve mood and fight depression due to the content of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin in the body.

So let's get ready!

• Lentils - 300 gr.
• Onion - 2 pcs.
• Mustard - 10 gr.
• Vegetable oil - 30 ml.
• Vinegar red wine or apple - 20 ml.
• Cloves - 1 stick
• Bay leaf - 1 pc.
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Green onion - 5 pcs.
• Parsley - to taste
• Salt - 1 teaspoon
• Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
• Nuts - 50 gr.

Below you can see a detailed video recipe for cooking:

1. Wash the pre-soaked lentils and cook in a saucepan along with 1 whole onion, bay leaf and cloves for 35 minutes.

2. After 35 minutes, turn off the fire under the pan, take out the onion, bay leaf and cloves, and leave the side dish to cool.

3. Finely chop the second onion, green onion feathers and parsley.

4. Prepare the sauce: mix the prepared mustard with vinegar, salt, pepper, chopped garlic and oil.

5. Mix lentils with chopped onions and herbs. Add chopped nuts and cooked sauce.

6. Mix and eat a delicious dish.

Recipe for cooking in a slow cooker

A miracle of technology - a multicooker helps us cook tasty and healthy for ourselves and our families. In a slow cooker, dishes are prepared, as in a Russian oven, when all the ingredients were put into a pot at once, covered with a lid and sent to the oven to languish.

In this recipe in a slow cooker, we will cook lentils with mushrooms, the dish turns out to be very soft, tender and contains a lot of protein.

For cooking we need:

• Red lentils - 280 gr.
• Onion - 1 pc.
• Champignons - 250 gr.
• Hot water - 480 ml.
• Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. spoon
• Salt - 1 teaspoon

1. Finely chop the onion.

2. Cut the champignons into beautiful plates.

3. Pour oil into the multicooker bowl. Choose a mode from the menu "frying" and "vegetables", and press "start".

4. We wait a little for the oil to heat up and put the mushrooms and onions in the multicooker bowl for frying for 7 minutes.

5. Turn off the "frying" mode and add the lentils washed several times to the bowl.

Secret: Rinse the lentils several times to remove all the foam.

6. Pour hot water into the slow cooker, add salt, mix.

Considering that when cooking in a slow cooker, water does not evaporate, add a little less water than it is written in the instructions on the package.

7. Turn on the “cereals” mode for 25 minutes and “start”. If you are using green lentils, you will need 40 minutes to cook them.

8. At the end of the cooking time, we take out tender, not boiled lentils with mushrooms and treat our loved ones.

This dish is especially useful during fasting or for athletes.

The convenience of cooking in a slow cooker is in the compactness of the process itself: the oil does not splatter, as in a pan, everything is cooked in one sealed container. Set it up and mind your own business.

Let the side dish brew a little and eat. Bon appetit!

Delicious diet recipe for cooking lentils

There are several types of lentils: red, green and brown. The red one cooks the fastest, about 20 minutes, but it also boils more than the others, so it is better suited for making mashed potatoes or soup.

Green is unripe brown. Therefore, it is cooked longer than others and retains its shape better. You need to cook it for at least 1 hour, it is better to use it for salads or side dishes.

Brown is a fully ripened green, has a slight nutty flavor, and cooks fairly quickly for 25 minutes. It also breaks down.

• Lentils - 1 cup
• Lime or lemon juice - 1/2 pc.
• Ginger - 1 cm.
• Onion or leek - 1 pc.
• Carrots - 2 pcs.
• Tomatoes - 4 pcs.
• Salt, pepper, sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Greens, basil, oregano

Unfortunately, legumes can cause discomfort in the digestive tract, to avoid them, soak the lentils overnight in cold water, as described above, then it will be better absorbed by your body and will not cause gas formation.

1. We wash the grains several times and cook on fire for 20-30 minutes, depending on its variety. Cereals soaked overnight cook faster.

2. Pour hot water over the tomatoes to remove the skin from them and grate them. You can use frozen or canned tomatoes, tomato juice or paste.

3. Add chopped garlic, lime juice, salt, sugar, oregano, basil to grated tomatoes or pasta.

4. Grind onion and ginger and fry in oil in a pan, stirring constantly. After 2 minutes, add carrots to the pancut into thin strips.

5. Pour the mixture of tomatoes and spices into the pan, pepper and simmer for 5-7 minutes over medium heat.

6. Add boiled lentils to the pan, add greens, simmer for another 5 minutes.

7. Serve the finished dish with herbs. Bon appetit!

Delicious recipe with vegetables and smoked sausage

In this recipe, we will cook lentils with vegetables. This is an excellent balanced dish: nutritious, high in vegetable protein, rich in vitamins and microelements. In combination with vegetables, dishes from this legume are rich and light, similar to vegetable stew.

Beans and smoked meats are very tasty. In this recipe, we will add some smoked sausage to the pot with the garnish.

For cooking we need:

• Lentils - 300 gr.
• Green pepper - 1 pc.
• Red pepper - 1 pc.
• Onion - 1 pc.
• Tomato - 1 pc.
• Carrot - 1 pc.
• Bay leaf - 1 pc.
• Paprika, pepper, salt - to taste
• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. spoons
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Smoked sausage - 100 gr.

1. Grind onions, garlic, peppers, carrots with a knife.

2. Scald the tomato with hot water, remove the skin, chop finely.

3. Pour vegetable oil into a saucepan and, in turn, with an interval of 2 minutes, pour onion with carrots, pepper, tomato, paprika. At the end, add the washed soaked lentils.

4. Add hot water to the pan so that it covers the lentils by two fingers.

5. 5 minutes before readiness, add smoked sausage to the pan,it will add flavor and piquancy to the dish.

6. Before serving, sprinkle the finished dish with herbs.Bon appetit!

Lentils with onions and carrots

A very simple and delicious recipe for a side dish with carrots and onions. For an appetizing smell, add garlic.

For cooking we need:

• Green lentils - 400 gr.
• Onion - 1 pc.
• Carrot - 1 pc.
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Olive oil

1. Finely chop the onion and carrot and simmer in a tall frying pan with olive oil.

2. Add the soaked lentils to the pan and add water two fingers above the grits.

3. Cook over low heat for about an hour. Salt at the end of cooking.

Below is a detailed video recipe.

This bean contains:

• Folic acid contains 120% of the daily requirement of a person.
• Phosphorus to strengthen teeth and bones.
• Lots of vegetable protein.
• Low fat content.

Beneficial features:

• Easily digestible.
• Does not accumulate toxic substances from the earth.
• Useful for diabetes, pregnant women.
• Reduces cholesterol levels.
• Is a source of protein.
• Of the contraindications, the property of gas formation should be noted. Not recommended for people with gastrointestinal problems.

How to cook lentils with meat

Lentils go well with chicken, so we offer you a recipe with chicken fillet.

We will use green grains in this recipe. they do not boil in mashed potatoes like, for example, red ones.

In this dish, we combined vegetable and animal protein, so the food will be very satisfying and quick to prepare. And it will be delicious.

For cooking we need:

• Green lentils - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 pc.
• Chicken fillet - 200 gr.
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Seasoning for chicken
• Vegetable oil

1. Pour the soaked grains with cold water and cook for about 45 minutes.

Attention: in order for the broth to be more rich, the ingredients must be dipped in cold water so that when they heat up, they have time to give their aromas and tastes to the broth.

2. Finely chop the onion and garlic and fry in oil in a preheated pan for a couple of minutes.

3. Finely chop the fillet, mix with seasonings and salt, add to the pan to the onion and garlic, fry until tender.

4. Pour the finished boiled lentil groats to the finished fried meat. Stir and fry for another 3 minutes.

Delicious side dish recipe with rice and mushrooms

Lenten tasty dish of lentils, rice and mushrooms. In order for all the ingredients in the dish to turn out beautiful and appetizing, we will fry them separately. If you want to simplify the cooking process, you can combine and fry all the vegetables together.

For cooking we need:

• Green lentils - 70 gr.
• Onion - 2 pcs.
• Long grain rice - 200 gr.
• Carrot - 1 pc.
• Mushrooms - 400 gr.
• Vegetable oil
• Water - 350 ml.
• Salt pepper
• curry, turmeric

1. We wash the soaked green lentils well and cook until cooked for about 40 minutes.

2. Rice is washed several times and left for 20-40 minutes in water so that starch comes out of it.

3. Wash mushrooms and clean if necessary.

Attention: to wash the mushrooms beautifully, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of flour, pour cold water, leave to stand for 5 minutes and then wash.

4. Chop one onion finely and fry in a pan until golden brown.

5. Beautifully cut the mushrooms into slices and also fry in oil until golden brown, salt at the end. If you salt the mushrooms at the beginning, they will release the juice and turn out not so beautiful.

6. Combine the onion and mushrooms and fry together for 1 minute.

7. Cut the second onion.

Attention: so that tears do not run from the eyes when cutting onions, do not prematurely cut off the tail of the onion.

8. Cut the carrot into thin strips and stew it together with the second onion in a frying pan in oil. Add curry and turmeric to lightly fried vegetables. These are the spices with which rice is always combined. Salt and pepper.

9. Drain the water from the rice and add it to the pan with the onions and carrots. Stir so that all the rice is saturated with oil, then it does not stick together.

10. Add boiled lentils to a pan with vegetables and rice, salt and add fried mushrooms with onions.

12. Pour the broth into the pan, counting that 1 cup of rice needs 2 cups of liquid.

13. Add chopped or whole garlic.

14. Put the pan on medium heat, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Rice is crumbly. Bon appetit!

Just 100 years ago in Russia, lentils were not only found everywhere on the tables of both the rich and the poor, but were also exported to many countries of the world. However, not everyone knew how to boil lentils to make a delicious dish.

The oldest agricultural crop of the legume family has been known since the Neolithic, appeared in Rus' in the 14th century and was the basis for many dishes. Now they forgot about the queen of legumes, but in vain!

The nutritional value of lentils is enormous, it contains more than sixty percent of vegetable protein and a wide range of minerals and trace elements. It was not for nothing that among the monks in Rus' it was the main source of nutrition during fasting; many dishes can be prepared from it: soups, pastries, side dishes.

From a medical point of view, the queen of beans is simply a storehouse of health. It strengthens the immune system and improves metabolism. Regular use will not only improve the body, but also cure many ailments.

1. It normalizes blood sugar levels, which means it is useful for diabetics.
2. It is rich in B vitamins, which act as an antioxidant and protect the body from the effects of toxins, alcohol and nicotine poisoning.
3. With gastritis and ulcers, pain subsides, heartburn disappears.
4. Prevention of oncology - prevents the formation of cancer cells.
5. Useful for nervous disorders, a kind of depressant.

The list is endless. Moreover, lentils also have cosmetic properties, are indispensable for diets, and are also very useful for women's health during pregnancy, when solving gynecological problems.

So colorful!

Several varieties of lentils are known.

1. Brown. The most common type, rich in iron, prevents anemia. Soups are mainly prepared from it. Has a nutty flavor, good in combination with meat.
2. Red, or Egyptian. Practically devoid of a shell, so it instantly boils soft. It is recommended to cook mashed potatoes, pastes, soups from it.
3. Puy, or green. Rich in fiber, the variety was bred in the French city of Puy. It has a delicate aroma and smell of pepper. It is not subject to boiling and is recommended for adding to salads.
4. Yellow. Polished green lentils. It is used for puree-like dishes.
5. Black, or Beluga. It has a small size, looks like black caviar. It contains a large amount of ascorbic acid, which means it helps with colds. Often used for salads, useful in sprouted form. After cooking, it retains its shape, due to the unusual color it gives piquancy and originality to dishes.

Place the prepared cereal in boiling water and cook over low heat, not forgetting to stir. Salt or add tomatoes should be at the end 5-10 minutes before readiness, as a salty or acidified environment doubles the cooking time.

During the cooking process, it is advisable to add spices and a little oil, olive oil is best. This will make the beans tender and softer, as well as more fragrant.

How long will it take

Each variety has a different cooking time. Of course, you can constantly try for softness and taste, but it is better to remember or write down how much to cook lentils until cooked, depending on the color.

Red and yellow are cooked very quickly, an average of 15 minutes. Brown and black will be ready in 25 minutes. And cooking green takes from 45 minutes to an hour.

You can cook not only on the stove, so it is important to know how much lentils are cooked depending on the cooking method:

• multicooker - 50 min.;
• microwave oven - 7-12 minutes;
• steamer - 1 hour.

How much water do you need

For side dishes for one part of the cereal, you need to take two parts of water. Try to maintain a strict 1:2 ratio to avoid undercooked or overcooked lentils.

If you use a microwave oven or a double boiler, then it is enough that the water is 1-2 cm above the level of the grain.

It has long and firmly entered our lives, it allows you to quickly prepare dishes in automatic mode. However, not every housewife knows how to cook lentils.

Use the "Extinguishing", "Porridge" modes. If the dish consists of several ingredients, then the legumes should be laid last.

Lentils with mushrooms are prepared as follows.

1. We turn on the “Frying” mode, pour sunflower oil into the container, add finely chopped onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, bring to a transparent state.
2. A dozen randomly chopped champignons or other mushrooms are fried together with onions for several minutes. Salt, seasonings and spices to taste.
3. Add one glass of prepared lentils to the mushrooms and pour two glasses of boiling water.
4. We switch to the "Extinguishing" mode, set the time to 50 minutes.
5. After the readiness signal, it is advisable to leave it on automatic heating for another 20 minutes.

Thus, you can cook lentils with meat, chicken, vegetables. Be sure to use spices, they brighter reveal the taste and aroma.

Features of cooking in the microwave

Many housewives do not know that in a microwave oven you can not only defrost food or heat food, but also cook.

Pour red or yellow lentils into a special dish, salt, add spices and pour hot water so that it covers the beans by 1.5-2 cm. Place in the microwave, no need to close the lid. Set the maximum mode and cook for 7-10 minutes. Lentils are crumbly, the grains are whole and elastic.

Cooking in a steamer

When cooking in a double boiler, useful vitamins and minerals are preserved, dishes are guaranteed not to burn, and cereals are crumbly. The peculiarity of cooking is less water than with the usual method of cooking in a saucepan.

Put one and a half cups of any lentils in a container, pour in a glass of water, put butter, spices and salt to taste. Set the time to 1 hour. After cooking, taste it, you can add a few more minutes to achieve the necessary softness.

How to cook lentils so that it is healthy and tasty? There are many recipes, add imagination, do not be afraid to experiment, and you can please your loved ones with unusual dishes.

Porridge

It is equally good as an independent dish, and as a side dish for meat or fish.

1. Pour well-washed yellow or red grains into boiling water in a ratio of one to two.
2. Cook until done. For 5-7 minutes, do not forget to salt and add spices and seasonings.
3. Drain excess water and leave to simmer covered.
4. Fry onions and carrots in vegetable oil until golden brown.
5. Mix the roast with lentils, add butter to taste.

Before serving, sprinkle the porridge with finely chopped herbs.

Puree

Throw the lentils into boiling water in a ratio of 1:2. Cook for about 15 minutes with the addition of a tablespoon of vegetable oil, so the beans will be softer and more tender. At the end, add salt and spices. To make the puree smooth, beat or pass through a sieve.

Serve puree with fresh vegetables and herbs. A mint leaf in a plate will add a special taste.

Soup

How to cook brown lentils? What to cook? Try Lentil Soup, a hearty dish rich in protein and micronutrients. In the cold season, it saturates, warms, gives piquancy and a touch of exotic.

This is the classic soup recipe.

1. Boil one cup of lentils in two cups of water for 20 minutes.
2. Finely chop the carrots and onions and fry in vegetable oil.
3. Combine vegetables with lentils, add a pinch of turmeric, cumin, red and black pepper. Salt.
4. Simmer over low heat until the lentils are soft.
5. Use a blender to smooth and smooth.
6. Add six cups of strong beef or vegetable broth.
7. Season with butter, sprinkle with chopped herbs and ground paprika.

Exotic green and black lentils

Black lentils are also called Beluga. The grains are shiny, rich in color, very similar to black caviar, hence the nickname. This is a rather expensive product, as it is characterized by labor-intensive harvesting.

Sprouted black lentils are very useful, they are added to salads. When boiled, it has a whole shape and a pleasant delicate taste. Beluga looks exotic on sandwiches. In Europe, delicious soups and gourmet sauces are prepared from it, and in Asian countries they are mixed with rice or added to vegetable stews.

Green lentils were bred in France, in the small town of Puy, which is why they are sometimes called French or by the name of the city. It has a subtle, spicy swing and unusual flavors. Many gourmets consider this variety to be the most delicious variety in existence. Perfectly retains its shape during cooking and is recommended for preparing gourmet dishes. It is best to add it to salads.

The Puy variety is not always available, so its counterpart is slightly unripe lentils. It is brown-green in color and does not boil soft. It is easy to distinguish it from Puy, French lentils have a marble pattern on the grains.

1. Lentil grains should be uniform in shape and color. If there are small holes on its surface, it means that insects have liked it and are no longer suitable for food.
2. Do not mix beans purchased at different times, even if they are the same variety. Older lentils will take longer to cook.
3. For vegetable soup, lentils are thrown first and cooked until half cooked, and then the rest of the products are added.
4. If you are making lentil soup with meat stock, cook the meat first and then add the beans.
5. To make the porridge crumbly, boil it, drain off excess water and leave to swell under the lid.
6. Bay leaves, sage, rosemary, cloves are perfectly combined with lentils, and from vegetables - onions, carrots, tomatoes, garlic.
7. Spices are best added early, the taste will be more pronounced.
8. Cooked lentils can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
9. To avoid flatulence, add cloves.

Summing up

Now you know how useful and nutritious lentils are. Do not neglect it, and your diet will be replenished with delicious dishes.

Lentils are a dietary product, have a low calorie content and are indispensable for a slim figure. From it you can cook not only soups and cereals, but also bread, salads, pastries, meatballs and even sweets.

This amazing plant is not able to accumulate toxins and does not lose its healing properties even after heat treatment. No wonder lentils are called the queen of beans.

Eat it with pleasure and be healthy!

A minimum of fat, no contraindications, they are perfectly absorbed by the body, endowing all organs with the necessary vitamins and amino acids. It is these qualities that best characterize recipes in which lentils predominate - the most valuable source of microelements and vegetable protein. The benefit is undoubtedly a huge plus in the piggy bank of this product, but what about the range of dishes? But in the culinary field, these small beans have succeeded.

Culinary possibilities of lentils

Lentil recipes have been known to mankind for thousands of years, because these grains were the basis of ancient agriculture and, accordingly, the diet.

This legume was most widely spread in the lands of Asia, but it was also revered on the territory of the Slavs from time immemorial.

Despite the abundance of varieties of lentils, only 4 of its varieties are widely used for culinary purposes:

• green (French),
• red (Egyptian),
• brown,
• black (Canadian).

In addition to taste indicators, these multi-colored seeds also differ in cooking time and grain durability.

Subtleties of cooking

So, if it takes us either 1 hour of cooking or 10 hours of soaking to cook French lentils, then for brown and red beans, everything will take two or even three times less time.

In addition, it should be borne in mind that the green species practically does not boil soft, and it is reasonable to use it for salads, soups and stews.

Red and brown lentils make an excellent porridge, casserole, or puree soup, given the fact that they fall apart when cooked.

Yes, and such a bean fraternity increases during cooking, too, if you consider that in 1 cup there are 210 g of dry cereal, then at the output we can get about 4 cups (850-1000 g) of the finished product. And how many wonderful recipes include this ingredient, you just wonder.

And with what can be made from lentils and how to cook various dishes from these legumes, we can get acquainted in detail in this lentil post with vivid photos of these very dishes. And you will choose the best recipe for yourself, according to your personal taste preferences.

Lentil soups simply amaze with their assortment, originality and taste. And their cooking itself does not require any specific talents from the culinary specialist, everything is easy and affordable.

And for the preparation of first courses from lentils in a slow cooker, special control is not required at all: I loaded the products, set the “soup” or “cooking” program and let the miracle pan “puff” while we go about our business.

Soup smoked

For those who have not yet had the pleasure of tasting the breathtaking lentil soup, this recipe will be a real discovery. Without wasting time, put on an apron and go.

Ingredients

• Brown lentils - 1 tbsp.;
• Smoked brisket - 200 g;
• Chicken drumstick - 0.3 kg;
• Potato tubers - 3 pcs.;
• Carrot - 1 root vegetable;
• Bulb -1 pc.;
• Powdered black pepper - ½ tsp;
• Lavrushka - 1 leaf;
• Dill and parsley greens - 1 bunch;

Cooking

1. Rinse the groats thoroughly and soak for half an hour in boiling water.
2. In the meantime, prepare the vegetables: finely chop the onion into cubes, and rub the carrots on a coarse grater. Then we set the “baking” or “frying” program on the slow cooker, pour a little oil into the bowl and send the vegetable slices to fry a little until golden brown.
3. Next, pour water into the container, spread the swollen lentils, potatoes cut into bars, chicken drumsticks and slices of smoked bacon. And after the soup preparation is salted to taste and smeared with pepper and laurel, we set the “soup” or “stewing” program for 40 minutes.
4. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, finely chopped greens must be added to the soup.

This hearty and surprisingly tasty lunch should be served in deep bowls, flavored with a spoonful of sour cream.

Diet puree soup

This is the perfect option for a spring diet. A bunch of vitamins, a minimum of calories and carbohydrates, since there is no place for potatoes here! And, importantly, it will take no more than half an hour to cook. So, let's begin:

1. We wash red lentils (1 glass) and fill with water (2 l) and set to boil. After 10 minutes, we send to her 300 g of cauliflower, disassembled into small inflorescences, 200 g of zucchini cut into small cubes, 100 g of grated celery root and a whole onion.
2. After 20 minutes, we remove the onion and throw it away, we got the aroma and color we need from it, and we don’t need it anymore. The soup itself is salted to taste, smeared with spices as desired (turmeric, saffron, black or red pepper) and seasoned with celery or dill (1 bunch).
3. Now, with the help of a blender, we turn our lunch into a puree mass and put it in a soup bowl, decorating it with rye crackers on top.

Lentil porridge

Who would have thought that in the world there are so many options for dishes for the second, where lentils are the main figurant. Cutlets and meatballs, zrazy and dumplings, side dishes and casseroles, the brightness of the taste of this legume emphasizes all these recipes with photos in the most beneficial way.

And what delicious cereals can be prepared from these red grains. This delicacy will perfectly fit into a healthy diet, because it not only normalizes metabolic processes in the body, but also strengthens the immune defense.

And you can cook porridge like this:

• Boil the washed grains of red lentils (2 cups) in salted water (4 cups) until tender for half an hour over low heat.
• While the cereal is cooking, prepare the passerovka. Chop the onion (1 head) and carrot (1 root crop) into thin strips and fry until golden brown in hot oil (50 ml).
• After that, mix the roast with boiled lentils, add a little black pepper (1/3 tsp) and herbs as desired.

The dish is ready.

This original and very simple dish will definitely become the crown delicacy of any feast.

For cooking we need:

• 1 cup green lentils soaked for 10 hours
• 2 boiled potato tubers,
• 1 onion head
• 2 garlic cloves,
• 2 tbsp wheat flour,
• ½ st. breadcrumbs,
• 200 g cheese
• salt and pepper to taste.

1. Boiled cereals, potatoes and diced and then fried in oil onions are passed through a meat grinder, or mashed in a blender. In the resulting mass, add flour, pressed garlic, salt, spices and mix well.
2. In a heat-resistant form, greased with sunflower oil, we fill in the breadcrumbs, on top of which we spread the minced meat. Sprinkle the casserole with grated cheese on top and send the baking sheet to the oven preheated to 180 ° C for 20 minutes.

The casserole to the table should be served hot with a sauce of sour cream and grated garlic with salt.

Zrazy from lentils

Lentil zrazy perfectly complement the lunch menu with any side dish, be it vegetable salad, pasta or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

• Brown lentils - 1 cup;
• Turnip onion - 5-7 heads;
• Chicken egg - 4 pcs.;
• Breadcrumbs - 1 cup;
• Salt - to taste;
• Garlic cloves - 4 pcs.;
• Suneli hops - 1 tsp with a slide;
• Ground black pepper - ½ tsp;

Cooking

1. Rinse the bean groats soaked for 4 hours and put them on a sieve.
2. In the meantime, fry the onion finely chopped into cubes in oil until light brown, then twist in a blender along with lentils and garlic until a homogeneous consistency.
3. Salt the resulting slurry, pepper, season with spices and mix with 2 raw eggs. Hard-boil the remaining 3 eggs and cut into ¼ lengthwise.
4. We make cakes from minced meat, inside which we put slices of boiled eggs and then form oblong cutlets. Next, roll them in breadcrumbs and simmer under the lid for 5 minutes, and then fry in oil in a pan for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

This is only a small fraction of all the dishes that lentils can give us. Recipes with this cereal are incredibly tasty, nutritious and interesting, which allows them to be included in the diet of vegetarians and on the menu during the days of Orthodox fasts.