When all the options are sorted out in my head and there is no more strength to come up with what and from what to cook, lentils come to the rescue. It is such a versatile product that you can make almost any dish: from cutlets and stuffed peppers to dumplings and stews.
1. Stuffed peppers
Peppers can be stuffed not only with rice and meat filling, but also with lentils with mushrooms. And believe me, it turns out no worse than the classic meat version.
Ingredients:
• Green lentils - 1 glass;
• Bulgarian red or yellow pepper - 4 pcs;
• White onion - 1 piece;
• Garlic - 4-5 cloves;
• Champignon mushrooms - 300 g;
• Fresh spinach - 100 g;
• Salt - to taste;
• Ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp;
• Chili flakes - 0.5 tsp;
• Italian herbs - 1 tbsp;
• Sunflower oil.
Cooking method:
• Rinse lentils and boil in lightly salted water until cooked (40-45 minutes);
• Wash the pepper, cut off the tops with the stalk;
• Remove core and seeds;
• Wash the mushrooms;
• Cut into small cubes;
• Chop the onion and garlic;
• Fry with mushrooms in sunflower oil for about 10-15 minutes;
• Then add lentils and finely chopped spinach;
• Season with salt, pepper, chili, dried herbs;
• Stir;
• Cook for one and a half to two minutes;
• Stuff the peppers with the resulting filling;
• Transfer to a baking sheet, previously covered with parchment;
• Cover the peppers with foil;
• Send to an oven preheated to 190 degrees for 20 minutes;
• Then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes;
• Before serving, if desired, sprinkle with fresh herbs and grated cheese.
2. Stew
“Hearty, tasty and nutritious” - this is how you can say about lentil stew with the addition of aromatic slices of crispy bacon and smoked sausage.
Ingredients:
• Red lentils - 450 g;
• Smoked bacon - 6-8 slices;
• Smoked or smoked sausages - 250 g;
• White or purple onions - 1 pc;
• Carrots - 2 pcs;
• Celery - 3 stalks;
• Garlic - 3-4 cloves;
• Cumin - 1 tsp;
• Dried thyme - 0.5 tsp;
• Laurel - 1-2 pieces;
• Salt and ground pepper - to taste;
• Sunflower oil;
• Apple cider vinegar 1 tsp;
• Green onion - 5-6 feathers;
• Fresh parsley - 6-8 stalks.
Cooking method:
• Cut the bacon into strips and fry in a deep skillet with a thick bottom for about six to seven minutes;
• Transfer the finished bacon to paper towels;
• Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery;
• And fry in the same pan where the bacon was fried for about 5-8 minutes;
• Then add chopped garlic and spices;
• Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes;
• Wash and boil the lentils in lightly salted water with bay leaves and thyme until cooked, according to the instructions on the package;
• Transfer the finished lentils to the frying pan to the vegetables;
• Stir gently;
• Pour with lentil water so that the liquid covers everything by 1-1.5 centimeters;
• Cook until all liquid has evaporated;
• In another frying pan, fry the sausage cut into strips, cubes or circles until golden brown;
• Add vinegar and fry for 1-2 minutes;
• Add fried sausage and bacon to the pan with stewed lentils and vegetables;
• Sprinkle with chopped green onions and fresh parsley before serving.
3. Dumplings
As it turned out, dumplings can be cooked not only with minced meat or mushrooms, but also with lentils and rice. Moreover, if they are flavored with aromatic spices and a slightly fried onion with carrots.
Ingredients:
• Red lentils - 1 glass;
• Rice - 0.5 cups;
• White onions - 2 pieces;
• Carrot - 1 piece;
• Salt and ground pepper to taste.
For the test:
• Flour - 600 g;
• Water - 1, 5 glasses;
• Salt and pepper to taste;
• Sunflower oil - 8 tsp.
Cooking method:
• Rinse lentils under cold running water;
• And boil in lightly salted water until cooked (about 40-45 minutes);
• Rice also rinse under cold running water;
• Poison until tender in lightly salted water (about 15-20 minutes);
• Peel onions and carrots;
• Grate on a coarse grater and fry in sunflower oil for 7-10 minutes;
• Mix lentils with rice and mince with medium mesh;
• Add frying;
• Season with salt and pepper;
• Stir;
• In a bowl, mix warm water with sifted flour, salt, pepper and oil;
• Knead elastic dough;
• Then wrap it with cling film and leave in a cool place for about half an hour;
• Then roll out the dough thinly and thinly and squeeze out the circles using a glass or mold;
• Place the filling in the center of each string;
• Form dumplings;
• Boil in lightly salted water until tender (about 5-6 minutes);
• Or freeze if desired.
4. Salad
Salads are not only vegetable, meat, fish, egg or mushroom, but also from lentils. By the way, if you are observing Great Lent, then you will definitely like this dish one hundred percent.
Ingredients:
• Green lentils - 200 g;
• Cucumbers - 1 piece;
• Tomatoes - 2-3 pcs;
• Bulgarian red or yellow pepper - 1 pc;
• Celery - 3 stalks;
• Fresh cilantro and parsley - 1 bunch mix (small);
• Shallots - 3 pcs.
For refueling:
• Garlic - 2-3 cloves;
• Lemon - 1 piece;
• Dijon mustard - 1 tbsp;
• Honey - 1 tsp;
• Salt and ground pepper - to taste;
• Olive oil - for dressing (about 3 tablespoons).
Cooking method:
• Rinse lentils thoroughly;
• Boil in lightly salted water until tender;
• Allow to cool;
• Cut cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and celery into strips or cubes;
• Cut the shallots into thin rings;
• Wash greens;
• Dry;
• Pick up the leaves and grind;
• Mix all ingredients together with lentils in a deep bowl;
• In another bowl, mix together lemon juice, honey, mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic pressed through a press;
• Stir until smooth;
• Fill the salad with the resulting sauce;
• Stir gently;
• Let it brew for 5-7 minutes and serve.
Continuing the topic, read also about how to stuff potatoes - 7 delicious fillings, before which hardly anyone can resist.