What's the quickest and easiest way of cooking up some lentils without getting into a "recipe"

[EllieArroway]

If you see what I mean.

I don't mean soups etc - I mean just a quick way of flavouring lentils (which I am trying to eat more of) to go with other meals.

For example, would it work if I boiled some up in some stock (chicken or veg), added some onions & peppers and just served that? Would that work?

TY :)

That sounds like it'd be pretty tasteless to me. Lentils need 'stuff' doing to them to make the tasty and so recipes are needed. That's my opinion anyway.

This isn't a 'recipe' but it's what I do to lentils and they're so yummy.
Cook onions first in whatever spices you have to hand (curry/thai 7 spice/whatever) then add lentils then stock (veg or chicken). Cook till soft, then add a load of fresh chopped tomatos or coriander or something to give them a lift. Squeeze of lemon juice - job done

That sounds lovely, Chicken thanks, I'll try that.

I've been adding them to stuff like bolognese which works well so stir fry is a good idea too.

You could try my Curried Lentil Spread... v nice on toast or crispbreads! It's a little like chickencurryfor7's but fewer ingredients. Cook red lentils for about 10 -15 mins in an amount of water that just covers them so that they absorb it all and go fluffy. Then stir in chopped coriander and a finely chopped onion that has been fried in butter and flavoured with a few spoons of curry powder. Allow to go cold and there you go...

Puy lentils are very versatile and quick to prepare as they don't need soaking but they keep their shape and have a nutty flavour. You can eat them hot or cold. Boil with a stock cube and drain then add butter, nutmeg and a hint of garlic. Top with nearly caramelised fried onions or oven roasted red peppers. Nice with fish, sausages, chorizo, roasted butternut squash. Or you could add some wilted rocket/spinach and a dob of yoghurt or goats' cheese.

I like the sound of curry lentil spread.

Ooh! I invented a very yummy lentil dish last night, if I do say so myself.

I cooked some green lentils in stock until they were tender. Meanwhile, I fried up a couple of finely sliced rashers of bacon until crispy. Took them out of the pan and added a couple of finely chopped red onions. Cooked until soft. Added a one stick of celery and head of broccoli broken into florets and cooked until soft with a little water in the pan, and a good glug of balsamic vinegar.

I then added the lentils into the pan with the onions and broccoli, took it off the heat and stirred in half a pack of feta cheese, before chucking the bacon back in.

You could easily miss out the bacon to make it a vegetarian dish.

I always cook lentils in stock, and often add in a handful of pine nuts or pumpkin or sunflower seeds. They make a good base for a dish with beef sausages or chorizo or smoked bacon, with carrots, celery, spinach, peppers, mushrooms (or whatever other veg you have to hand) mixed in.

Fry cubed pancetta in a tiny bit of olive oil until the fat starts to run (optional) then add onion celery carrot garlic and rosemary and sweat gently until veg softens. Add puy lentils and stock (could also add some tinned toms) and simmer until lentils are cooked through. Can stir spinach through at the end if you like (maybe instead of toms though) Or leave out rosemary/tomatoes and add mint and a juice of a lemon at the end instead.

Can also do with red lentils but I would omit the rosemary. Could add some spices instead to make more of a daal?

With green or Egyptian lentils, I often just fry some crushed garlic in olive oil, add the lentils and stir through the oil, then add rosemary and bay and water to cover, then simmer in a lidded pan till tender. Add a poached egg for a gorgeous dinner.

Fry some pork mince with garlic, add lentils and thyme, cover with water and cook till tender then stir through some shredded kale and flat leaf parsley and cook for another ten minutes or so.

Love red lentil dal, will often stir through shredded spinach and coriander at the end and just eat with rice.

I just fry an onion, add some curry mix, stir for a minute or so then add lentils and water. Simmer until soft and squishy. You can add tinned toms too. Yummy.

That sounds delicious Cogito. I love lentils and think I will make your lentil spread very soon.

I do something similar to Chicken with red lentils but with chilli, garlic and tinned toms instead of fresh. Bit of Marmite, maybe some cumin or ginger. Green oxo cube. I cook this for 3O mins or so into a kind of dhal to have with rice.

Something similar with more liquid and liquidize for soup.

Or brown/ puy lentils cooked with onion, chopped carrots, toms and herbs for the base of veggie Shepherd's Pie.

Or layers of sliced raw potato, sliced onion, and dry lentils and any of grated cheese/toms/ bacon. Cover in stock, all the way to the top, put on a lid and cook on highest heat for about an hour.

I make an excellent veg curry with cauliflower, spuds, peas, onions, sweet potato and tinned green lentils too.

Curried Lentil Spread. I chalk up all my recipes here and the website handily provides nutritional information. :) Forgot the grated carrot but it's one of those simple recipes that you can play around with flavours and additions etc. Most important part is to let it go cold because then it firms up....

We eat lentils when there are some tired carrots, stalks of celery and ends of pancetta sitting around in the fridge. I chop those things up with a bit of garlic and onion, stick them all in a frying pan with some olive oil and gently cook them for about 20 minutes until soft and the flavours have mingled. In the mean time I boil up the lentils, then drain them and add them to the other things, and then cook gently for another 10/20 minutes, adding sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and some chopped flat-leaf parsley as well as more olive oil at the end.

I cook puy lentils in stock with chopped onions all the time - it's lovely.
Even better with some garlic & chopped herbs too.

I'm addicted to lentils.
My daily lunch (and sometimes dinner) consists of red or green lentils.
I boil them with carrot, onion, add salt, peper, chilli, curry powder, tomato paste. blend w/ hand blender.
I know you didn't ask for a recipe but that's hardly a recipe and I couldn't resist sharing it.