Lentils are legumes rich in essential amino acids, folic acid, vitamin B1 and fiber. Being seeds, they are very rich in protein (about 30% of their weight) and therefore ideal in a vegetarian diet. Moreover, they are inexpensive, easy to cook and tasty, too.
They come in different sizes and colors (green, black, orange, yellow, brown and more) but the most common ones are the green ones, which I recommend for the following recipe. However, you can use any kind of lentils, taking into account that the cooking time changes.
Eat them as a side dish, in salads, puree them to make a spread, add them to your soups, or cook them with rice for a complete and nutritious meal.
Ingredients: F W V B Gf Ef Df
(serves 4 people)
- 1 ½ cup. of organic dry lentils
- ½ bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp. of EVOO
- ½ yellow onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 sprig of rosemary
Peel the onion and chop half of it. Peel the garlic, remove its green core and chop it. Wash and dry the bell pepper and cut half of it into small cubes. Warm up the Evoo in a saucepan and sauté the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and rosemary until the onion turns golden brown. Warm up 1 quart of water in a separate saucepan. Wash the lentils and add them to the sauté ingredients, stirring for a couple of minutes. Add 2 cups of water, the salt, cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes that the lentils don’t become too dry. In this case, add some hot water and stir.
The right point of cooking is when the lentils are al dente.
Test them to make sure you don’t overcook.
Serve warm or cold.