Done right, dishes featuring lentils are rich with flavor and oh-so-satisfying to put in our bellies. They're the kind of dishes you want to linger over and scoop up every last bite. Here are nine recipes that are sounding really good to us right now!
1. Jamie Oliver's Sausages and Green Lentils with Tomato Salsa - The fresh-tasting lentils balance out the richness of the sausages. (Image courtesy of Jamie Oliver Online)
2. Mini Rack of Lamb with Nutty Beluga Lentils and Sautéed Garlic Spinach - Everything from the roasted lamb to the garlicky spinach and lentils sounds good here.
3. Late Summer Lentil Salad - Not ready to let summer go? This salad gives us one last taste!
4. Very Simple Dal Palak - This thick lentil stew is chock full of warming, fragrant spices.
5. Herbed Lentils with Bacon - Lentils and bacon are a match made in heaven! We love the smoky sweet combination.
6. Pomegranate Lentil Soup - Pomegranate seeds provide a tart contrast to the hearty lentils in this soup!
7. Fridge Clearing Lentil Soup - This soup has a bit of everything...everything delicious, that is!
8. Smashed Lentils with Egg - A warm egg makes just about any dish better, and lentils are no exception! (Images: Flickr members Jules:StoneSoup and Seph Swain licensed under Creative Commons)
9. Beth's Lenticchie con Ditalini - Serve the lentils over pasta for an extra-hearty meal.
What are you favorite lentil recipes?









Floral Drink Dispen...

My fav way to eat lentils lately, especially the de Puy green lentils is simmer them for 15-20 min. In the meantime, saute onion, carrot, and fennel (if it's around) in olive oil. Toss drained lentils with veggies, top all with a strongly seasoned Dijon vinaigrette with lots of fresh pepper and some fresh parsley if you have it around. Serve on top of arugula with a poached egg on top. Voila!
If you're lucky enough to still have good eggplants in season, this lentil dish is amazing:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/eggplant_lentil_stew_with_pomegranate_molasses/
I've made it with tamarind paste instead of pom. molasses and it was even better! I've thought about making this fall appropriate by using a squash instead of eggplant.
I like to make something like bbq baked beans but with lentils instead when I decide I want baked beans but didn't think to soak some actual beans overnight. This http://www.recipezaar.com/BBQ-Lentils-148341 is a good example.
But my favorite lentils ever are the lentils with mint and cilantro from the Apicius cookbook.
I made this dish of Lentils and Sausage with Chard last weekend and it was delicious! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lentils-with-Sausage-and-Swiss-Chard-103446
Fakes soup is dead easy, perfect wonderfulness. Red vinegar olive oil... every time I make it people ask me for the recipe. It's greek and I love it.
I never had lentils until I moved to Peru - now we eat them about once a week. I like to make this soup -
http://kelly-whatwereeating.blogspot.com/2008/12/soup-is-awesome.html
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Greek-Lentil-Soup-Fakes/Detail.aspx
I love miser wat, an Ethiopian stew with red lentils.
I also like to make lentil stew (recipe from the Olive Garden website), but with a little crumbled sausage, balsamic vinegar and a few chili flakes.
Lentil soup is also delicious.
I love lentils! My two favorite ways to eat them are with chevre and walnuts:
http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=9108
and with hot chili garlic oil ala Mario Batali:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/lentil-soup-with-chili-oil-zuppa-di-lenticchie-recipe/index.html
Mujadarah, we eat this a lot since my husband grew up eating it. It's a casserole of lentils and rice (or you can use bulghur instead of rice) topped with caramelized onions. You can season it with cumin and/or allspice, and make a dressing of yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and mint to go with it.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Mujadarah-lentils-With-Rice-Middle-East-Palestine-322497
We also make lentil soup very often, a big pot in the fridge to round out the week's meals. Adding lemon juice at the table, or a little yogurt, makes lentil soup especially tasty.
I'll have to try a few of these other recipes that are in the post and the comments, thank you, I really love lentils.
I use lentils instead of meat in a vegetarian pastitsio. Make a flavorful tomato sauce with lentils (garlic, bay, cinnamon, onions) and layer it with elbow macaroni and a bechamel custard sauce on top to run down and bind it together. I think some mozzarella too. It's the best!!