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People interested in healthy eating almost certainly know how useful. Consisting of a third of protein, which is well absorbed, it has a relatively low calorie content, but is quite satisfying. In addition, along with it, a person receives many useful macroelements and microelements, including iron.

Despite its usefulness, lentils are an infrequent guest on the tables of many Russians. The thing is that not every Russian family can boast of knowing recipes. delicious meals from lentils. Not everyone knows what can be cooked from lentils, and some do not even know how much it needs to be cooked until cooked.

How to cook lentils

The cooking time of lentils depends on its variety, but in any case it is less than it takes to bring peas or beans to readiness. In addition, it does not need to be pre-soaked.

It will take 35-40 minutes to cook green or brown lentils, 20-25 minutes for yellow lentils, and 15 minutes for red lentils. Accordingly, different amounts of water are needed to prepare a side dish from them. In the first case, you need twice as much water as lentils, in the third - one and a half times, in the second case, it is better to take about 1.8 times more water than lentils.

Green and brown lentils are good for making cereals and salads. For soups and mashed potatoes, they usually take red or orange.

Before cooking, lentils should be washed well and sorted out - medium-sized pebbles often come across in it, if they get into food, they will nullify all culinary efforts.

The rest of the cooking methods depend on the chosen recipe.

Lentil porridge

Ingredients required:

• lentils (preferably brown) - a glass,
• water - 2 glasses,
• salt - to taste,
• carrots - about 200 g,
• onion - about 100 g,
• olive oil- half a glass
• spices - to taste (ideally - Indian).

Cooking process:

1. Prepare lentils, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, add spices and cook for half an hour. Until you salt.
2. In the meantime, peel the vegetables, chop the onion finely, as much as possible, grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
3. Fry vegetables in .
4. Add the vegetables to the lentils, season with salt and cook until tender, that is, until they completely absorb the water.

Pumpkin soup with lentils and feta

Ingredients required:

• pumpkin - half a kilo,
• lentils (orange) - half a glass,
• water - one and a half glasses,
• carrots - 150 - 200 g,
• onion - about 75 - 100 g,
• garlic - 2 - 3 cloves,
• thyme - a branch,
• broth (any) - 100 - 200 ml,
• olive oil - 50 ml,
• salt, pepper - to taste,
• feta - 200 g.

Cooking process:

1. Wash, peel vegetables, cut into cubes about a centimeter.
2. Put the vegetables in a heat-resistant form or cauldron, pepper, salt, pour oil, put thyme on top (no need to cut it). Let's put it in the oven. We will simmer until the vegetables are soft (20 minutes) at a temperature of 180 - 200 degrees.
3. While the vegetables are being prepared, wash and sort the lentils, fill it with water, and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.
4. Grind the prepared vegetables with a blender until puree, after removing the sprig of thyme. Dilute the broth to a more liquid state.
5. Pour into bowls, put a couple of tablespoons of lentils and a few pieces of feta in each.

Lentil cutlets

Ingredients required:

• lentils (preferably red) - a glass,
• carrots - 2 pcs.,
• onions - 2 pcs.,
• water - 1.5 - 2 cups,
• semolina - half a glass,
• pepper - to taste
• soy sauce - 2 tbsp. spoons,
• breadcrumbs and olive oil for frying.

Cooking method:

1. Wash, peel, finely chop the vegetables.
2. Fry a little, pour pre-washed lentils into the pan to them.
3. Add water (so far 1.5 cups, if not enough - add the rest later) and sauce, pepper, cover. Lentils languish until they absorb water and become soft, this will take about a quarter of an hour.
4. Grind with a blender, add semolina, mix well.
5. Form cutlets, roll in breadcrumbs and fry on both sides until crispy.

lentil salad

Ingredients required:

• lentils (green) - a glass,
• ham - 100 g,
• sun-dried tomatoes - 8 pieces,
• water - 2 glasses,
• shallots - 1 stalk,
• Spinach (chopped) - 1 cup
• salt, pepper - a pinch,
• wine vinegar - 50 ml,
• vegetable oil - 50 ml.

Cooking process:

1. Rinse, fill with water, open the lentils. 5 - 10 minutes before readiness, salt and pepper it. Lentils should be smooth, do not boil it until soft.
2. Cut the onion and marinate it in vinegar.
3. Cut each tomato into 4 pieces.
4. Cut the ham into cubes.
5. Add chopped spinach to the prepared lentils, stir, season with oil.
6. Add tomatoes and ham, stir gently.
7. Put the pickled onion on top. It is desirable that at this time the lentils are still warm. Serve

How to cook lentils correctly? Do I need to soak lentils before cooking? Probably, these are the fastest grains in terms of cooking time from the entire legume family. After all, they do not require soaking before they are cooked. Lentils - 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 immune system. So, below are cooking tips.

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

1. Rinse the grains running water, sort them out - if necessary, remove crushed, shriveled grains or small debris.
2. For 1 cup of dry lentils, 2 - 2.5 cups of water are required.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Lentils that have been stored with you for a long time do not lose their nutritional properties, they just take longer to cook.
7. Don't mix fresh lentils with old ones. They cook unevenly.
8. Grains of red varieties are cooked faster - 20 minutes, no more.
9. 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, 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 useful for digestive system and hearts. 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.

Lentils: cooking secrets + 3 amazing recipes

good meal from lentils there is always a place on the table both in summer and in winter. This surprisingly satisfying type of legume is almost on a par with meat in protein content, and surpasses many side dishes in taste.
However, like other legumes, grains, and seeds, lentils are a hard-to-digest food that, if not properly prepared, can hamper the digestive tract and cause bloating. Are there ways to avoid such unpleasant consequences?

The answer is: yes, and many intuitively use them all the time. Today - about the secrets of cooking easy-to-digest lentils, as well as 3 delicious lentil recipes for practicing the skill.

How to properly prepare lentils

Unprepared, lentils are literally a digestive challenge. The fact is that absolutely all legumes contain special substances - inhibitors that do not allow grains to germinate without sufficient moisture and literally block our enzymes, thus slowing down digestion. This is exactly what happens every time we boil dry lentils. Of course, with good digestion, such a process can pass without a trace. However, if you got the sensitive organs of the gastrointestinal tract, or if lentils get on your table with enviable regularity, then you should think about the "workarounds" of cooking.

It is this method - preliminary soaking of lentils for several hours in water, which essentially imitates the ingress of grain into wet soil and neutralizes inhibitors, also transferring all nutrients into a more bioavailable form. Rinse the grains, fill them with water and leave them in a saucepan under the lid.

According to various sources, it is better to soak lentils for 3-7 hours or even overnight - that is how much is required to neutralize the inhibitors. Also, experts advise soaking lentils in a warm place - this way the process will go even faster. After soaking, drain the water, rinse the lentils and proceed to the selected cooking method.

How to cook lentils: useful tips

1. Pay attention to spices
Choose spices for lentils that have a positive effect on the absorption of legumes: asafoetida, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, fresh and dried ginger.

2. Choose the type of lentil
Different varieties of lentils, according to their characteristics, are better suited for different dishes. For example, green French "marbled" lentils practically do not boil soft, so cooks often use them to add to salads. Orange lentils are the perfect base for a hearty soup, while brown lentils are good as a side dish and as the main ingredient in a main course with meat.

3. Keep track of time
Lentil varieties also differ in cooking time. Boil red for 25-30 minutes, brown will be ready in 20-25 minutes, but for elastic green it will take all 40 minutes. It is important to note that it is not recommended to boil lentils in salted water, as this only increases the cooking time - just salt them at the end.

Red lentil and carrot soup

Light, nutritious and quick to prepare, soup is an excellent dietary lunch option for all occasions.

Ingredients:

● Cumin 2 tsp.
● Pinch of red pepper flakes
● Olive oil 2 tbsp. l.
● Grated carrots 600 g
● Red lentils 140 g
● Vegetable broth 1 l
● Milk 125 ml

Cooking method:

1. Soak lentils overnight. Drain the water and rinse it.
2. Heat the cumin and pepper flakes in a dry skillet until fragrant.

3. Transfer half of the spices from the pan to a plate, and add oil to the remaining ones and add carrots, lentils, broth and milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until soft.
4. Run the soup in a blender until smooth or more textured.
5. Serve hot with Indian flatbread, garnishing the soup with the remaining spices.

2. Salad with green lentils and red onions

A bright vitamin salad that can decorate even festive table. To prepare this dish, we advise you to take a dense variety of green "De Puy" lentils, which will retain their shape when cooked.

Ingredients:

● Green lentils "De Puy" 250 g
● Juice of half a lemon
● Juice of half a lime
● White wine or apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp. l.
● Red onion 1 pc.
● Olive oil 2 tbsp. l.
Ground cumin 1 tsp
● Garlic 1 clove
● Mango sauce or dressing to taste 2 tbsp. l.
● Cilantro - a handful
● Cherry tomatoes 250 g
● Spinach 85 g

Cooking method:

1. Soak the lentils overnight and boil according to package instructions.
2. Mix citrus juice, vinegar or wine with a pinch of salt, then add the diced onion and marinate for a few minutes until soft.

3. In a separate bowl, combine oil, cumin, mashed garlic and your choice of dressing.
4. Add onion rings and combine with remaining ingredients.
5. Serve garnished with fresh cilantro.

Soup with sweet potato and lentils

A surprisingly warming, flavorful soup - just right for a rainy or chilly day. If there is no sweet potato, you can replace it with pumpkin or turnip.

For a 3 liter pot:

● 2.5 liters of broth with meat (I have beef)
● 1 medium sweet potato
● 1 medium onion
● 1 carrot
● 100 g lentils
● 1 tsp. tomato paste
● paprika, curry, cumin, salt, pepper
● greenery

Cooking method:

1. Peel the vegetables, cut the sweet potato into cubes, finely chop the onion, grate the carrots.
2. Put vegetables and lentils into the boiling broth, add tomato paste and spices and cook until the lentils are ready.
3. If desired, you can pre-fry onions and carrots with spices.
4. 10 minutes before readiness, salt and add paprika.
5. Serve with fresh herbs and sour cream.

Lentils are an ideal product for pregnant women and not only

Lentils have been known since ancient times as a product with great nutritional value, it contains substances with high content protein, fiber, iron and folic acid(vitamin B9), making it an ideal nutritional product for pregnant women.
Thanks to folic acid and vitamin B, it can prevent the development of congenital malformations in the fetus, such as spina bifida and anencephaly. A high protein food, like lentils, is very important for pregnant women, as protein is involved in the development muscle mass fetus.

In addition, folic acid can help fight negative impact certain medicines. So, for example, a smoker or alcoholic can use lentils to restore their levels of folic acid, which is excreted from the body due to these bad habits.

Lentils are also rich in potassium, fiber, phosphorus, vitamin B5 and vitamin B6. Thanks to its high concentration of potassium, it promotes good blood circulation and regulates blood pressure. Eating lentils helps to cope with problems gastrointestinal tract due to the content of coarse fibers, which lowers cholesterol and helps control obesity.

As a phosphorus-rich food, lentils keep bones, teeth and skin in good condition and help restore their natural pH balance. Lentils are recommended for improvement biological functions brain.
In addition, vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, makes lentils an indispensable tool in the fight against stress and headaches, and vitamin B6 in its composition is recommended for diabetes, depression and asthma.


Thus, we can say that lentils are an indispensable product in the diet of any person. In addition to all of the above, lentils are a vegetable rich in iron, which helps fight anemia. In order to maximize the content of this mineral, you can add to the diet and citrus fruits - lemons, oranges and tangerines.

You can add lentils as a side dish to other dishes, you can use it in a salad, in combination with lemon juice. However, do not cook lentils for a long time, as they will lose their appearance, taste, and many of their characteristics. beneficial features. Nai large quantity vitamins and minerals will be preserved if lentils are germinated, for this it must be washed, poured with clean water for 6-8 hours, after which the water is drained, rinsed with lentils and left warm, dark place for another 8 hours.

Finally, I will say that lentils contain the following nutrients in their composition:
70 mg calcium, 1.50 mg iodine, 3.10 mg zinc, 40.60 g carbohydrates, 24 mg sodium, 10 mg vitamin A, 0.47 mg vitamin B1, 0.22 mg vitamin B2, 6.58 mg vitamin B3, 3.40 mg vitamin C, 1.80 mg vitamin E, 304 calories, fats 1.70 g, sugars 1.10 g, and purine 127 mg.

Lentils are soft beans that can be bought dried. Unlike other legumes, lentils do not need to be soaked before cooking. In fact, lentils are very easy to cook and can be done on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. In this article you will find all necessary information you need to know.

Ingredients

You will have 4 cups (1000 ml) cooked lentils

• 1 cup (250 ml) dried green, brown, or French lentils
• 2-4 cups (500-1000 ml) water
• 1/4-3/4 teaspoon (1.25-3.75 ml) salt

Steps

Preparing lentils

Cooking lentils on the stove

Mix lentils with 2 cups (500 ml) of water. Place 1 cup (250 ml) sorted lentils in a small to medium saucepan and double fill large quantity water.

• With this method, you can cook any amount of lentils. It doesn't matter how many lentils you take, as long as you add twice as much water.

1. Bring to a boil. Heat water on the stove over medium heat. The mixture should only boil slightly.

   • A lot of small bubbles should come to the surface of the water. Don't let the water boil too hard (when large bubbles come to the surface).
   • Do not cover the pot with a lid.

2. Cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low so that the contents are only slightly simmering.

3. Let me stand. Let the lentils stand for 5-10 minutes to absorb more water.

   • If you like the softness and texture of lentils after 20-30 minutes of cooking, you can skip this step and go straight to the next one. In the process of absorbing water, the lentils become softer.

4. Drain the water. Pour the contents of the pot into a colander or sieve to separate the lentils from the water.

   • Then return the lentils to the pot.

5. Salt the lentils. Mix lentils with 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt. Taste and add more if necessary.

   • Note that salt and acidic ingredients should be added to the lentils after cooking is complete. If you add them earlier, the lentils may remain firm.
   • Salt the lentils while they are still warm, as they will absorb the flavor better than when cold.
   • This is the final step in the cooking process.

Cooking lentils in a slow cooker

1. Place the lentils and 4 cups of water (1000 ml) in a slow cooker. Place 1 cup (250 ml) sorted lentils in a saucepan and add four times as much water.

   • As with the previous method, you can cook any amount of lentils (depending on the size of your slow cooker) as long as you add four times as much water.

2. Cook for 4 hours on low heat. Cover the slow cooker with a lid and turn on the low heat. Cook the lentils until they are tender but not too soft.

   • This process usually takes about 4 hours, but the time may vary depending on the age of the lentils. Old lentils may take up to 6 hours, and young ones only 3.5-4 hours.
   • If you are cooking at a high temperature, cut the time in half. Cook lentils for 2, not 4, hours.
   • Do not stir the lentils during cooking. Try not to remove the lid from the slow cooker until the expected cooking time. If you remove the lid, this will release the heat, so you will have to cook longer.

3. Drain the water. Pour the contents of the slow cooker into a colander or sieve to separate the lentils from the water.

   • After draining the water, return the lentils to the slow cooker. The saucepan must be turned off.

4. Salt the lentils. After draining the water, mix the lentils with 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) of salt. Add more salt if necessary.

   • Do not add salt or acidic ingredients to the lentils during the cooking process, as the lentils may remain hard.
   • This is the final step in the lentil cooking process.

Variations

1. Prepare lentils with various seasonings. In addition to salt, you can add most non-acid seasonings while cooking lentils. Season the lentils while cooking to infuse the flavor.

   • Try the following seasonings for 1 cup (250 ml) dried lentils: 1/4 tsp. (1.25 ml) freshly ground black pepper, 1 Bay leaf, 1 minced garlic clove or 1 chopped shallot.
   • When you drain the water, remove large seasonings such as garlic or bay leaves.

Modern housewives undeservedly deprive their attention of recipes for lentil dishes. Simple and delicious, they make a complete lunch or dinner. It is important that it also turns out to be very useful. From lentils, you can cook not only soup, but also the most delicate porridge, side dish, salad, casserole and other interesting options.

Lentils - a simple and delicious side dish

The easiest way to prepare a lentil side dish is using a slow cooker of any model. For such a recipe, you will need to take: 180 g of green lentils, 2 times more pure water, a couple of garlic cloves, half an onion and a carrot, oil, 1 Bell pepper(Bulgarian), salt.

1. The capacity of the device is lubricated with oil and in the “Baking” mode, chopped garlic is cooked until browned. Next, finely chopped peppers, carrots and onions are added to the bowl.
2. When the vegetables become soft enough, you can change the mode to "Buckwheat", add washed lentils, cold water and cook the dish until the appropriate signal.

A ready-made lentil side dish is served with any meat sauce, fish or chicken.

Cooking lentil soup with tomatoes

Such a thick red stew perfectly warms and saturates. When preparing it, you can use not only fresh tomatoes, but also canned ones. They should be pieces in their own juice (350 g). Also taken: 5-6 cloves of garlic, a handful of olives, a little over 300 g of red lentils, onions, carrots, a mixture of dried oregano, tarragon and basil, salt.

1. Legumes are laid out in a pan, poured cold water, brought to a boil, after which the fire is reduced to a minimum. The product is prepared before boiling, about half an hour.
2. Whole garlic cloves are crushed with a fork and fried in any fat, along with chopped onions and carrots. After 5-7 minutes, peeled tomatoes, salt, spices (except tarragon) are sent to the pan, and the mixture is stewed for about the same amount.
3. The bright red roast is transferred to the beans, the ingredients are mixed and brought to a boil. After 7-9 minutes of cooking, the dish is completely ready.