Today we will see how to cook dried lentils to perfection to create excellent recipes with these legumes! Because the important thing is not only to cook them but also how to use them in various preparations.
Once cooked, dried lentils can be used in many recipes such as:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 401.50 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 56.36 (g) of which sugars 4.38 (g)
- Proteins 23.22 (g)
- Fat 8.12 (g) of which saturated 1.20 (g)of which unsaturated 0.75 (g)
- Fibers 15.29 (g)
- Sodium 664.07 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 people:
- 7 oz dried lentils
- 8 cups water
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 carrot
- 1/2 onion
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Tools:
- 1 Pot 3 qt
- 1 Spoon (or silicone spatula)
Preparation
Here is the recipe with tips and advice on how to cook dried lentils to perfection by boiling them in a pan with a soffritto and herbs.
To cook lentils quickly, it is important to soak them before cooking. Soaking speeds up preparation, improves taste, and makes them more digestible.
Soaking also helps remove stones and peel off skins that would otherwise detach during cooking. Lentils that float should be discarded as they are not suitable for consumption.
Some dried lentils do not require soaking, always check the instructions on the product package.
Dice celery, carrots, and onions into uniform cubes two or three millimeters thick, I like the vegetables to be visible within the cooked lentils.
If you don’t like vegetables too much, you can chop them very finely and then make them even smaller with the knife to create a mince, in this way, they will almost disappear during cooking.
Put a drizzle of oil in a pan, heat it, and add the celery, carrot, and onion.
Toast over medium heat for a couple of minutes, when the onion starts to sweat and become transparent, add the lentils.
Toast the dried lentils for a couple of minutes to flavor them with the vegetables, if you like, you can add a crushed garlic clove and a pinch of chili pepper to add a slight spiciness.
Add water and boil the lentils for at least 20 minutes if the lentils have been soaked, if not soaked it may take up to 40 minutes.
The cooking time varies depending on the size of the lentils and their variety.
To avoid overcooking the lentils, I recommend tasting them after 20 minutes, especially if they are fresh green lentils, to prevent them from breaking up and losing their skins.
If the lentils are for other recipes (risotto with cotechino and lentils, lentil velouté etc.) stop cooking by draining them with a colander under plenty of cold water.
Cooked lentils, once drained and cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator in a bowl for 2-3 days without any problem.
Just sauté them in a pan with a splash of water to bring them to serving temperature.
After the indicated cooking time, drain the lentils, removing the cooking water.
Now you have learned how to cook dried lentils, you just have to use them in a recipe.
Your lentils are ready!
Plating Tips:
Once cooked, you can use the lentils as an ingredient in your recipes without having to cook them from scratch. For example, you can prepare the typical risotto with cotechino and lentils, lentil velouté, lentil soup, and lentil patties.
Which Wine to Pair:
I recommend choosing the wine based on the final dish in which you will use the lentils. In general, I suggest a full-bodied red wine such as Montepulciano or Barolo.
