Despite the fact that lentils are a very useful and nutritious product, today they are not so often found in our lunch menu. However, our ancestors - both the poor and peasants, and the rich and nobles - paid tribute to dishes from this variety of legumes. By the way, in pre-revolutionary times, Russia ranked first in the world for the production of lentils. Meanwhile, these legumes are one of the most qualitative sources of vegetable protein, which is especially important if you observe church fasts. So, today we decided to offer you several options for how to cook lentils for a side dish. If you want to diversify your menu with a very useful and tasty product, be sure to use one of the recipes.
Red lentils: recipes
A side dish from this variety of legumes turns out to be tasty, nutritious, satisfying and will certainly appeal to all home-made ones. So, to prepare the second dish of lentils, we need the following products: a pound of red lentils, one and a half liters of water, one carrot and onion, a couple of spoons of tomato sauce or pasta, a teaspoon of turmeric, a couple of cloves of garlic, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, dried herbs parsley and zira.
Cooking process
We boil water, pour lentils into it and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. At the same time, fry in vegetable oil pre-grated carrots and garlic, as well as finely chopped onions. Then add spices and tomato sauce, mix and remove from heat. Add sautéing to boiled lentils, salt and simmer over low heat for a few more minutes. A delicious side dish is ready! It will go well with both meat dishes and vegetable salad. This version of how to cook lentils for a side dish is very easy and fast and will suit even novice housewives. Enjoy your meal!
Green Lentil Garnish Recipe
We bring to your attention another recipe from this variety of legumes. This side dish of green lentils in combination with pasta is of Egyptian origin and has a great and rich taste. So, to treat ourselves and our loved ones with such a dish, we first need to prepare the following ingredients: 200 grams of green lentils, 200 grams of pasta, 700 grams of tomatoes (you can take both fresh and canned), three onions, a clove of garlic, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, caraway, turmeric and coriander to taste. From this amount of food, you can cook four servings of the dish.
Pour the legumes with water at the rate of two glasses of water per glass of lentils and boil for 40 minutes over low heat. We heat one tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan or saucepan and pour in the crushed coriander and caraway seeds, fry them for several seconds. Then add the boiled lentils and mix. Cut the onions in half rings and fry in a pan with four tablespoons of vegetable oil until golden brown. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the onion, increase the heat and continue to fry, stirring constantly, until crisp and brown. Then we transfer it to a paper towel or towel so that excess fat is absorbed. We heat in a pan two tablespoons of oil and add finely chopped garlic, turmeric, tomatoes, slightly add and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat. We should get a slightly thickened sauce. On the previously boiled pasta, spread the lentils on top, then the tomato sauce and crispy onions. You can also sprinkle the dish with parsley or cilantro. This was another option on how to cook lentils for a side dish. Be sure to try this delicious and healthy dish!
How to make lentil porridge
This dish can be very useful to you if you observe fasting, since such porridge is very satisfying and contains the necessary amount of vegetable proteins. So, to prepare this dish we will need the following ingredients: a glass of red lentils, a bunch of cilantro, dill and parsley, one and a half glasses of water, onion, two cloves of garlic, salt and vegetable oil.
Cooking process
Pour the lentils with water and, after boiling, cook over low heat until tender. At this time, finely chop the greens. Fry the finely chopped onion in vegetable oil until it turns golden, and add the garlic. Add onion and garlic to the onion and garlic and fry for a minute. Then pour the chopped greens into the porridge, salt, mix and let it brew for a quarter of an hour under the lid. Delicious lean dish is ready!
Lentils in a slow cooker: recipe
If you are a happy owner of such a kitchen appliance, then you probably know that you can cook a whole mass of various dishes in it. These are soups, and cereals, and pastries. Next, we suggest learning how to cook lentils in a slow cooker. If you decide to pamper yourself with a delicious side dish of this variety of legumes, then you will need the following ingredients: a multi-glass of red lentils, a medium-sized onion, 2.5 multi-glasses of ordinary water, carrots, salt, black pepper, vegetable oil.
Cooking process
We clean and finely chop the onion. We turn on the “Baking” mode and fry the onions for about five minutes in vegetable oil, stirring constantly. Peel the carrots, grate it, add to the fried onion and cook for another 10 minutes. Wash the lentils in cold water and add to the fried vegetables. Fill with water, salt and pepper. Mix, close the multicooker lid and set the Buckwheat mode. Very soon, a delicious and nutritious side dish will be ready.
Today we brought some recipes for how to cook lentils for a side dish. However, this variety of legumes can be an independent dish. For example, many people like lentil soups. As a rule, they are cooked in the form of mashed potatoes, adding tomatoes, peppers and various seasonings. Such dishes contain few calories, but at the same time they are very satisfying and tasty. Therefore, people watching their figure, they will surely like it.