My basic recipe for cooking perfect peeled red lentils as soup or as a base for appetizers, main dishes, or second courses.
Peeled red lentils are dry lentils ranging from reddish to yellow without the outer skin.
If you need to reduce fiber, peeled red lentils are the alternative to whole lentils with skin.
Cooking dry lentils with soaking – Why soak peeled lentils?
While you can cook peeled lentils without soaking, my method includes it; prepared this way they are digestible and light.
Choosing lentils
I prefer to buy locally sourced lentils varying between green, brown, red, alternating whole, peeled, or mixed.
Cooking with IMCO pot or traditional pot, no need for a pressure cooker.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- peeled red lentils (2 portions weight according to dietary guidelines)
- 1 onion (pureed or grated or whole)
- 1/4 cup water (+ as much as needed to cover)
- 1 broth cube (homemade vegetable or a stalk of celery)
- to taste salt
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil (raw)
I usually prepare more portions to have a convenient supply to freeze [meal prep].
Suggested Tools
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- 1 Colander fine mesh
- 1 Bowl or salad bowl
- 1 Pot IMCO or regular
Preparation
Recommended portions according to dietary guidelines
– fresh, soaked, or canned legumes: 5 oz;
– dry legumes: 1.76 oz.
Portion sizes are always personal.
Pour peeled lentils onto a surface and check them carefully with your fingers, removing any impurities or small stones.
– soaking:
it’s used to soften the lentils and to release anti-nutrient substances into the water.
The soaking water should not be used for cooking.– add an onion.
– wash and rinse dry peeled lentils until the water is clear;
– soak for about 12 hours, changing the water a couple of times;
– rinse hydrated peeled lentils well before cooking.Anti-waste tips
Use a fine-mesh colander or ricotta mold to drain legumes and collect soaking water to water plants; not for food use.The hydrated and cleaned peeled lentils are ready to pour into the pot.
Peel and wash the onion.
Blend or finely grate the onion or leave it whole if you prefer to remove it after cooking.In a pot:
– pour the onion and heat it;
– add 1/4 cup water and simmer gently.Pour the lentils and cover with water.
Add a vegetable broth cube or a stalk of celery.I use an IMCO pot, a precious gift from my mother-in-law, which allows cooking to continue with the flame off.
Be careful of any foam formation and remove it with a skimmer if necessary.
With IMCO pot
Cover with the lid and bring to a boil.
When a thread of steam comes out, turn off the flame.With a traditional pot
Continue cooking on low heat.With any pot
After 20 minutes check the lentils’ doneness and add salt: now and not at the beginning to prevent the outer shell of the legumes from hardening, extending cooking time.
If necessary, add more water and continue until the desired consistency is achieved: less or more mushy lentils.Your digestible and light peeled lentils are ready.
In the basic recipe perfect as a soup or as a base for appetizers, main or second courses.Plate and finish with a drizzle of raw olive oil to enjoy them at their best.
Enjoy your meal!
Cooked peeled lentils tend to thicken as they cool.
To bring them back to the right consistency, add about 3.4 oz of water and bring back to a boil.If you need to reduce fiber, peeled red lentils are the alternative to whole lentils with skin.
This method is also valid for whole lentils with skin and split peas or mixed legumes.
For chickpeas, beans, and fava beans, I prefer to use a pressure cooker: it reduces cooking times and makes them softer and more digestible.
Storage, Tips, and Variations
Since this is a basic recipe I only add the onion.
If you wish, you can add other vegetables: carrot and celery cleaned and cut into pieces or a frozen vegetable mix.
Also, a few tablespoons of tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes.
Store cooked lentils in airtight containers:
– in the fridge for up to 3-4 days;
– in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Let the lentils cool completely and portion them.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Tips on Pairing Legumes
Recommended pairings:
– legumes + grains [example: bread, pasta, or rice], preferably choose whole grains;
– legumes + proteins.
Respect the proportions and combinations indicated in your dietary guidelines.
To explore this topic read the article by clicking the following link: Pairing Legumes in the Diet.Why do peeled lentils always come from abroad?
Decorticating – removing the skin – requires specific industrial equipment; there are not many in Italy.
Often the product is imported raw and then packaged in Italian plants:
Packaged in Italy – Origin: Canada / Turkey / India.
Some small organic companies – especially in Umbria, Abruzzo, and Sicily – peel Italian lentils and sell them online or at local markets.
Carefully check that packages indicate:
Italian organic peeled red lentils or 100% Italian peeled lentils.How many grams of lentils per person?
Recommended portions according to dietary guidelines
– fresh, soaked, or canned legumes: 5 oz;
– dry legumes: 1.76 oz.
Quantities should always be adjusted to your nutritional needs.Why soak lentils?
It softens the lentils and releases anti-nutrient substances into the water.
The soaking water should not be used for cooking.How to make lentils more digestible?
– soaking;
– add an onion.How to reduce fiber in legumes?
If you need to reduce fiber, peeled red lentils are the alternative to whole lentils with skin.
