I call this the Best Lentils Recipe because it is packed with flavour. If am being honest, personally am not a huge fan of eating lentils because just like beans, they make you gassy and I don’t like that feeling but I do eat it every now and then. Although soaking the lentils before cooking them can make them much easier on the digestive system.
That being said, I do cook it quite often as my husband and children love it. Plus they are inexpensive and are loaded with a wide range of nutrients such as vitamin B, fiber and also plant-based protein which is an excellent meat alternative. So the reason my family loves it so much is because it is simply the best lentils recipe in our opinion and be rest assured that it will become your favourite as well.
Before I go through the ingredients list, Note that I prefer the Yellow or Red kind of lentils and that is what am using in the recipe. My reason being, because these kind of lentils are split and that makes them cook quicker. They also have somewhat sweet and nutty flavour that I really like. Feel free to use the variety that you like the most, the only thing will be that you might have to cook it longer if you use the whole kind (eg. Brown Lentils, which is the most common to find). So to begin we will need;
Ingredients :
385 g ( 2 Cups ) Yellow Lentils
1 Litre ( 4 1/3 Cups ) Stock ( I used beef stock, chicken or vegetable stock will be just as good )
142 g ( 1 Cup or 4 ) Carrots
20 g ( about 7 cm long) Leeks
Bacon ( Optional ) A small slice
90 g ( 2 small ) Onions
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoons Oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Process :
Step one : Soak lentils for about 30 minutes, rinse off and set aside. Wash carrot and leek very well then dice the carrots into small cubes, the leek sliced, onions and garlic diced.
Step two : In a medium pot on medium heat, add oil, onion and garlic and sauté until onions turn translucent. This may take 2-3 minutes, stir constantly to prevent it from burning.
Step three : Add Lentils, then stir to coat in oil and onion mix. Now add 3 1/2 cups of stock, stir and add the bacon and cover the pot with a lid, leaving a tiny space to prevent it from boiling over. Let lentils cook for 15 minutes.
Step four : After 15 minutes, add the remaining stock, carrots and cumin then stir to combine it all. Cover with lid and let simmer for 5 more minutes. Afterwards, stir in the leek, put lid back on and take it off heat. Now your best lentils recipe is all ready and the whole family can enjoy it.
For serving options, you can have this with rice, with normal boiled potato sautéed in a bit of butter, or with some healthy homemade bread.
Another way that I serve this lentils recipe for my kids sometimes is with sweet potato mash and sautéed sausage. You can also do chicken instead.
Visit my youtube Channel and watch the full video of me preparing this Recipe and also let me know what you think about this recipe by visiting my facebook page and let’s have a discussion there. Thank you for checking this post out.
Here are a few of some recipes you might want to try if you are a mother just like myself;
My mommy tips to help your child eat better
Also check out this article on Why you should start making your own baby food if you happen to be a first time mom that doesn’t feel comfortable enough to prepare food for her baby.
