Easy Green Lentils Recipe: The Oft Avoided Yet Delicious Plant-Based Powerhouse

If you use broth (or bouillon) it’ll definitely punch up the flavor. We’ve been erring toward water and adjusting the salt flavor ourselves because we feast with a fair amount of souls who have to limit their salt intake.
Consider these recipes as a spinal cord for whatever flavor/salt/spice you wanna add. I’m always throwing in more at the end per the taste of the evening.

Oh! And chopped parsley (or even cilantro) can also be good topper if you have some on hand. The bright taste of parsley plays well with the earthiness of lentils, and did you know how much nutritional power they have in 2tb? It’s astounding! 154% of your Vitamin K! (<—That isn’t a typo!) Plus Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Iron! (<—Will have to do a whole separate post on parsley, because it is a gobsmacking superfood.)

Lentils live the dramatic life of being despised for their chalky, mealy mouth-feel (when cooked improperly), yet praised for their glorious nutritional profile:

“Lentils, a small but nutritionally mighty member of the legume family, are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. But this is far from all lentils have to offer. Lentils also provide good to excellent amounts of seven important minerals, our B-vitamins, and protein—all with virtually no fat. The calorie cost of all this nutrition? Just 230 calories for a whole cup of cooked lentils. This tiny nutritional giant fills you up—not out.”

Lentils are also flush with plant-based protein (18g in a cup). They are essential if you want good heart health (compared to beef you’re getting about-as-much protein, yet also getting fiber and none of the artery clogging cholesterol), overall health, and a kinder/sustainable environmental footprint.

If you make a batch of these on the weekend, you have a hearty pot of protein waiting to be throw into all sorts of meals.

If you’re looking for lots of lentil options, try these out:
15 Best Lentil Recipes
21 Lentil Recipes

Everything you need to start a batch of lentils: 2 cups lentils, salt, paprika, bay leaf, and freshly grated garlic.
Pour water over it all, stir, bring to a boil, let simmer for roughly 40 minutes or until desired consistency. (Some people like their lentils toothsome and chewy, we like them broken down a bit more.)

I mean it about freshly grated garlic. :-) It’s written as such in every recipe, because I’m always grating it fresh. It makes a brighter flavor and the garlic goes farther through your dish (ie you will use up less garlic).

Done!
Dash with a bit of lemon juice and season to taste.
These are “pleasant-enough” (<—my take) as a side, but Ian gobbles them up joyfully. Top them with freshly chopped herbs!

I prefer to reserve a few cups of cooked lentils and throw them into dishes like this super-quick lentil soup. Recipe soon!

Another great thing about lentils: they sell in bulk at Wegman’s so if you get yourself a bag and switch to reusable glass-jarred paprika (like the first ingredient photo) you can eat lentils with zero waste!