Lentils are a plant of the legume family and come in green, brown and red varieties. It has a rather specific taste and therefore does not appear on our table very often. However, lentils are a very valuable product, contain many useful substances and, if consumed regularly, can relieve diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver, and also have a sedative effect, making a person calmer and more balanced. In Ancient Rome and Greece, lentil dishes were very often prepared and were considered worthy of gourmets; today they have become more varied. You will learn from this article which recipes for porridges based on it are the most popular.
Recipe for spicy lentil porridge with vegetables
To prepare it you need to take:
- water – 3 glasses;
- lentils – 1 cup;
- potatoes - 2 pieces;
- onion - 1 piece;
- carrot – 1 piece;
- garlic – 1 or 2 cloves;
- celery – 2 – 3 sprigs;
- curry – 1 ½ teaspoons;
- ground coriander – ½ teaspoon;
- ground black pepper – ½ teaspoon;
- red pepper – ½ teaspoon;
- salt - to taste.
Prepare as follows:
Rinse the lentils thoroughly, add water and leave to soak overnight in cold water. In the morning, rinse it again, add water and cook. When the water boils, the heat should be reduced to a minimum and vegetables should be added to the lentils - carrots grated on a coarse grater or cut into thin strips, finely chopped onions, sliced potatoes, garlic passed through a press. Cover the pan with a lid and cook over low heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning, until the water has evaporated and the porridge is ready. 5 - 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add seasonings and add salt. Before serving, garnish with herbs.
Sweet lentil porridge with milk
Products
Lentils - 1 glass Milk - 2 glasses Honey - 1.5 tablespoons Crushed flax seeds - 1 tablespoon Walnuts (shelled) - half a glass Dried apricots - 6 pieces Apples - 2 pieces
How to cook lentil porridge with milk
1. In the evening, wash the lentils in a colander under the tap, pour into a deep bowl, add 2 glasses of water and leave until the morning. Usually lentils are not soaked, but when lentil porridge is being prepared for breakfast, soaking will significantly reduce the cooking time. 2. Wash and cut 6 dried apricots into small pieces. 3. Peel 2 apples, remove the core, cut into pieces. 4. Grind apples and nuts with a blender. 5. Pour 2 cups of milk into a saucepan with a thick bottom, add 1 cup of lentils, 1 tablespoon of crushed flax seeds and place over medium heat. 6. Once the contents of the pan boil, reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes. 7. Add dried apricots and honey to the prepared lentil porridge and stir. Serve lentil porridge with apple and nut puree.
I recently discovered lentils. How delicious it is. Now I understand the Egyptians who consider it their most favorite dish. Moreover, she does not always perform. Lentils are often prepared as a main dish.
People have been preparing lentil dishes since ancient times. She was especially revered in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and the Mediterranean countries.
I would also like to talk about its benefits. Cooked lentil grains retain more than half of their benefits. Lentils promote blood circulation and normalize heart function. It can boost immunity and fight colds.
It is recommended to eat it regularly for women suffering from nervous disorders. But she especially provides valuable help to men. Lentils can cure many male diseases and have a beneficial effect on potency.
In general, these grains are useful. And also very tasty. And today I will show you how lentil porridge was prepared in my kitchen.
Recipe for lentil porridge with tomatoes and mushrooms
To prepare it you need to take:
- water – 2 glasses;
- lentils – 1 cup;
- tomato juice – 1 glass;
- tomato – 1 piece;
- mushrooms – 200 grams;
- carrot – 1 piece;
- onion - 1 piece;
- ground cardamom – 1 teaspoon;
- salt - to taste;
- greenery.
Prepare as follows:
Rinse the lentils; if desired, you can soak them overnight. Pour water, add finely chopped mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes after boiling over low heat, stirring from time to time. Add chopped vegetables and tomato juice. 5 minutes before readiness, add cardamom and salt, stir the porridge. Before serving, add finely chopped greens to the porridge.
How to cook with mushrooms
Lentil porridge with mushrooms is incredibly tasty and aromatic. Thanks to the gifts of the forest, it becomes even more satisfying.
In this case, to work you will need:
- 200 g lentil beans;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 250 g champignons (fresh);
- 1 carrot;
- 0.5 l of water;
- 1 onion;
- a little herbs, ground pepper and table salt;
- sunflower oil.
Method of preparing porridge:
- Place the beans, washed under running water, into a saucepan.
- Fill them with water and put on fire. As soon as the liquid boils, reduce the flame.
- Cook the lentils for 30 minutes, periodically skimming any foam that forms from the surface.
- During this time, you can prepare the rest of the products for work: cut the washed mushrooms into cubes, finely chop the peeled onions, chop the garlic and grate the carrots.
- Separately, in a frying pan in heated oil, first lightly sauté the onion. Then add the carrots and garlic and fry the vegetables together for about 3 minutes.
- Add mushrooms to the pan and stir. Fry them together with vegetables until the resulting moisture has evaporated.
- Place the boiled beans in a colander and strain well.
- Add them to the pan along with herbs and spices. Mix everything well and cover with a lid.
- Immediately remove the pan from the heat and let the porridge brew for a while.
In just 5 minutes it will be ready to be served. The porridge really turns out to be very satisfying. But due to the low calorie content of the original products, it can be eaten in any quantity without fear of consequences for the figure.
Recipe for lentil porridge with meat
To prepare it you need to take:
- water – 2 glasses;
- lentils – 1 cup;
- meat (preferably fatty) – 300 grams;
- onion – 2 – 3 pieces;
- pepper, salt - to taste;
- sunflower oil for frying.
Prepare as follows:
Soak the lentils overnight in cold water, rinse and cook until tender, stirring the porridge periodically to prevent it from burning. Cut the meat (pork loin is best) into cubes and fry in a frying pan, add salt and pepper and add to the almost finished porridge. Peel the onion and fry separately in a frying pan with the addition of sunflower oil, and also add it to the porridge. Mix it well and serve. You can leave it in the oven for 15 minutes - this will make it even tastier.
Selection of cereals, cooking features
There are several types of this product, which have their own distinctive properties. In any case, no matter what type of crop you buy, you need to choose only whole, smooth beans that are clean and smooth to the touch.
Types of lentils:
- French - has a green color, as it is collected in an unripe state. This one needs to be cooked longer;
- Yellow - has its name in accordance with the color, in fact it is the same green, only in a purified form. They are prepared into purees and soups, and eaten with vegetables;
- Pardina, or brown lentils, are fully ripened beans that have a slightly nutty flavor. Soups, purees, and casseroles are prepared from this species. It cooks very quickly;
- Red (or Egyptian) – piquant in taste, quick to prepare, excellent for vegetable stews, as well as for purees and soups;
- Beluga, or black, is a universal crop from which absolutely any dish can be prepared.
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Even though lentils are a legume, they are somewhat easier to prepare than other beans. It does not need to be soaked before cooking; it cooks on average for only 15 minutes. Only a species like Beluga requires soaking and prolonged boiling.
Before cooking, rinse the cereal in a fine-hole colander.
Simple and tasty
| Ingredients | Quantity |
| Red lentils - | 200 g |
| Water - | 0.3 l |
| Pepper and salt - | taste |
| Butter - | 25 g |
| Cooking time: 20 minutes | Calorie content per 100 grams: 94 Kcal |
Recipe step by step:
- Rinse the cereal thoroughly in a colander;
- Pour it into a saucepan, add the specified amount of water and put on fire;
- The porridge will be ready in 10-15 minutes;
- Place a small piece of butter into the finished dish and serve.
Recipe for sweet lentil porridge with banana
To prepare it you need to take:
- water – 2 glasses;
- lentils – 1 cup;
- banana – 2 pieces;
- dried apricots – 5 – 8 pieces;
- cinnamon – 1 teaspoon;
- raisins – 1 tablespoon.
Prepare as follows:
Soak the lentils for several hours in cold water. Then rinse and cook until almost done, remembering to stir, add cinnamon. Grind the bananas until mushy and put them in the porridge, soak the dried apricots in boiling water for 5 - 10 minutes, then chop them finely and add them to the lentils. Mix well and serve, garnished with raisins and sprinkled with cinnamon.
Delicious recipes
We offer you several solutions for preparing this healthy cereal with vegetable ingredients. Use popular red and green varieties.
With tomato juice and vegetables
This dish combines all the ingredients that perfectly complement the rich taste of unripe lentil grains. A wonderful recipe for the summer menu and a bright highlight of the diet table.
You will need:
- green lentils - 1.5 cups;
- tomato juice - 1 glass;
- water - 2 glasses;
- onions and carrots - 1 root vegetable each;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- celery (stems) - 2 pcs.;
- coriander - ½ teaspoon;
- salt;
- greenery.
Preparation
- Peel and finely chop the vegetables, garlic and celery.
- Fry in vegetable oil, season with coriander.
- Add the prepared lentils and water.
- Wait for it to boil, simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.
- Pour in tomato juice.
- Cook for 15 minutes.
For a Lenten or diet menu, the dish can be used as an independent dish. On the everyday table it goes well with fish and meat products.
With garlic and cilantro
This recipe for red lentil porridge refers us to oriental cuisine. But it’s also good for our table.
You will need:
- red lentils - 1 cup;
- onion - 2 large heads;
- cilantro - a bunch;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- vegetable oil;
- salt.
Preparation
- Peel the onion, garlic, chop.
- Fry the onion, after 3 minutes add the garlic.
- Rinse the lentils, place in a frying pan, and simmer for 1 minute.
- Pour 2 cups boiling water, add pepper and salt.
- Chop the cilantro, season the dish, simmer until the lentils are soft.
If you overheat this dish, it will turn into puree. To preserve the shape of the grains, boiling for 15 minutes is enough.
We hope these recipes for making lentil porridge will help you become more familiar with the valuable and tasty legume. And it should take pride of place in your daily menu.
Other porridge recipes
Lentils are a plant of the legume family and come in green, brown and red varieties. It has a rather specific taste and therefore does not appear on our table very often. However, lentils are a very valuable product, contain many useful substances and, if consumed regularly, can relieve diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver, and also have a sedative effect, making a person calmer and more balanced. In Ancient Rome and Greece, lentil dishes were very often prepared and were considered worthy of gourmets; today they have become more varied. You will learn from this article which recipes for porridges based on it are the most popular.
A few tips for preparing lentil porridge
- Before preparing porridge, it is best to pre-soak the lentils in cold water for at least 8 hours;
- It’s very tasty to add pre-fried vegetables in oil to this porridge - onions, carrots, peppers;
- seasonings that go perfectly with lentil porridge are turmeric, red and black pepper, curry, coriander.
Lentil porridge is very beneficial for the body - it contains a large amount of vitamins and microelements, and therefore it should be eaten by both adults and children. Prepare lentil porridge with the addition of various ingredients and enjoy its taste.
Selection and subtleties of preparation
On store shelves, cereals are presented in varieties of bright colors. These are not different varieties, but the same food crop, only of different ripeness.
- Green - unripe grains, they should be boiled for up to 30 minutes. Suitable for porridges and salads, as they retain their shape, but become very soft inside.
- Brown - distinguished by a pronounced nutty taste. It is added to soups and salads. Boiling time - 40 minutes.
- Red - cooks faster than other types of crops. 15 minutes is enough for it to crumble into puree.
When choosing, you should pay attention to the grain size and the presence of impurities. High-quality lentils with a diameter of 5-6 mm, without debris, uniform in color. The packaging must be airtight as it absorbs moisture. It is optimal to store grains in a tightly closed glass jar in a dark place.
Popular questions
- How to cook lentil porridge? Sort and rinse the grains, add to boiling water, and simmer over low heat until cooked.
- How much water is required? The proportion for porridge with whole grains is 2 parts water to 1 part cereal.
- Do I need to soak? Most varieties do not require soaking. The only exception is black lentils, which should be kept in water for 30 minutes and then boiled. But it is extremely rare on sale.
- When should you add salt? At the very end of cooking, otherwise the cooking time will increase.
- What to combine the product with? Its combinations with vegetables and herbs are optimal. The finished dish is seasoned with oil and sauce.
- What spices should I use? In the question of how to cook lentil porridge, cloves, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, and mint will help you.
Lentil Curry - Indian Cuisine Recipe
Lentils as a side dish can also be prepared in a very unusual way, for example, according to a popular Indian recipe with numerous spices. For this dish, the original ingredient is used - coconut milk (180 ml), and, in addition to it: 170 g of red lentils, a pinch of curry, turmeric, pepper and cinnamon, half a red onion, 3 cloves of garlic, salt.
- The lentils are thoroughly washed with cold running water.
- Finely chopped onions, garlic and carrots, as well as all the spices, go into the pan.
- Lentils are added to the vegetables, and the ingredients are poured with half of the coconut milk (if there is not enough liquid, it is diluted with plain water). Cook the ingredients together until the beans are soft over very low heat.
- All that remains is to salt the treat, pour the remaining milk into it and cook for a couple more minutes.
This unusual dish is served with brown rice or fried green beans.
Ideally, the curry should be very spicy, but you can adjust the amount of garlic and pepper to suit your taste. views
How to cook porridge in a slow cooker
Lentil porridge, how to cook in a slow cooker - this will require a minimum of time and simple, affordable products that can be found in any kitchen.
- cereal – 400-450 g;
- onions and carrots – 2 pcs each;
- garlic cloves – 2 pcs;
- bell pepper – 2 pcs;
- olive oil – 4-5 tbsp. l;
- water – 2 l.
To prepare lentil porridge, you need to thoroughly wash the cereal, cut the onion into cubes, bell peppers and carrots into thin strips, and garlic cloves into slices.
Pour oil into the multicooker container and add onion, fry it for 4-6 minutes in the “Stew” mode. Then add the carrots with pepper and garlic into the container and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
After this, you need to add lentils to the bowl, add water, salt and season with spices. The dish is stewed in the “Porridge” or “Buckwheat” mode until fully cooked.
How to cook green lentils
Green lentils are used in salads and as a side dish.
These legumes contain large amounts of protein, minerals and fiber, making them very healthy. Lentils are a favorite dish of all vegetarians, as they are an excellent substitute for meat and contain no less protein. Lentils are also completely gluten-free and much lower in fat than other legumes, making them great for those looking to lose weight. This dish can also serve as a natural prebiotic and improve the functioning of the intestinal microflora. Lentils fight diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and obesity as they contain polyphenols. Also, these grains are an excellent tool in the fight against cholesterol and burn slow carbohydrates. They contain folic acid, which is necessary for pregnant women and improves the functioning of the reproductive system in both men and women.
You can use a variety of vegetables to prepare dishes; carrots, tomatoes and pumpkin are the best. If you add fried onions or garlic, as well as seasonings such as turmeric, curry and paprika, the taste will be very piquant and with oriental notes.
Green lentils can be served raw. To do this, you need to soak it in cold water for about 20 hours, until the grains begin to germinate. This method is very useful, because lentils do not lose any useful substances during heat treatment, but at the same time retain their taste. Also, this cooking method does not require any effort at all. If you cook lentils correctly, they will be very tasty and healthy.
Step-by-step recipe with photos
Simple lentil porridge is cooked in a ratio of 1 part lentils to 2 parts water, red varieties for about 20 minutes, and green varieties for 30 minutes. For a more delicious version of lentil porridge, add all kinds of vegetables and spices.
Prepare lentils, tomato juice, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, vegetable oil, spices and salt.
Fry chopped onions, carrots and celery in vegetable oil, add garlic and coriander. Salt them at the beginning of frying (1-2 pinches or to taste).
Add lentils and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered.
After 15 minutes, pour in the tomato juice and cook for another 15 minutes over medium heat under the lid.
Lentil porridge is ready. Serve as an independent dish or as a side dish. Add salt to taste, and perhaps it will be enough to enhance the taste from some sauce (tomato, ketchup, etc.) or gravy (meat, etc.).
