Cook Your Meatless Monday Dinner on the Cheap With These 15 Lentil Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What goes well with lentils? ›

If you have a few root vegetables hanging out in your fridge, those are also great with lentils, like in this warm lentil and root vegetable salad with parsnips and carrots. Lentils are particularly nice with cheese, as in this grilled halloumi and lentil salad.

1 cup of dried, uncooked lentils = 1 pound of ground beef

Try them in burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, sloppy Joes, tacos, burritos, marinara sauce (for a quick, meatless Bolognese), shepherd's pie, or stuffed peppers. It's an easy, cheap, and nutritious swap-in regardless of whether you're vegetarian or not.

Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. For whole lentils, cook time is typically 15-20 minutes. For split red lentils, cook time is typically only about 5-7 minutes.

Black Lentils (Beluga lentils)

Thanks to the robust flavor, these lentils pair well with meaty veggies and marinated proteins like mushrooms, tofu, and seitan. Best of all, black lentils are the most nutritious variety of lentils, boasting the highest amount of protein, plus high levels of calcium, potassium, and iron.

Lentils

A 1/2-cup serving of boiled lentils contains an impressive 7.8 g of fiber. Eating lentils may also help increase the production of butyric acid, a type of short-chain fatty acid found in your colon. This could increase the movement of your digestive tract to promote bowel movements.

To stick to that, you wouldn't want red meat, pork, chicken, turkey and any high-fat dairy (whole milk or cheese) on your Monday menu. Limit eggs to 1 per day. This isn't a no-protein initiative though; fish and seafood high in omega-3 fats -- such as tuna and salmon -- are encouraged since they help lower cholesterol.

Districts across the country already practice Meatless Mondays, sometimes offering meat alternatives to regular lunch entrees, such as veggie burgers or vegan pizza, so students can still enjoy their favorite meals.

When stacked up against other beans, lentils are No. 2 in protein (soybeans take top honors). When combined with a whole grain, like brown rice, they can give you the same quality of protein as meat. But when you eat lentils instead of red or processed meat, you make a healthier choice for your heart.

If you eat fiber-rich lentils regularly, they can cause gas and bloating. If you are sensitive to fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyol (FODMAP) foods, lentils can cause discomfort, as well as bloating and gas in the colon.

What are cooked lentils called? ›

Dal or daal is the generic Hindi word for Lentil. But dal refers both to the uncooked dry lentil and also the cooked lentil curry. You need dal to cook dal. That is, you need lentils to cook lentil curry .

As a general rule, one cup of dried lentils yields two to two-and-a-half cups of cooked lentils.

Well, as healthy as they are, lentils are also known to cause some tummy issues like bloating and flatulence to be more specific. The presence of anti-nutrient compounds in lentils is the culprit behind gas or flatulence. The good news is that anti-nutrient in lentils can be easily deactivated by soaking them in water.

Note: Dried out lentil varieties don't need to be soaked. 1 cup of dried lentils yields 2 1/2 cups of cooked lentils. Serving size per person is ¼ cup.

Alternatively, a full complement of amino acids can be achieved by pairing lentils with whole grains such as rice or wheat. Lentils are also a great source of fiber, vitamin B1 and folic acid, and are naturally gluten-free.

Lentils are high in fibre, and complex carbohydrates, while low in fat and calories. Their high protein content makes lentils a perfect option for those looking to boost their protein intake.

For a complete meal, add naan (flatbread) or a rice dish and a vegetable curry dish. Per serving: 193 calories, 8g fat, 24g carb, 9g protein, 490 mg sodium, 4g fiber. This nutrition information is for the dal only. You need to add any flatbread, rice, or vegetable curry if eaten.

A combination of rice and lentils can be found in almost all cultures of the world. It makes sense together because you get the carbohydrates from the rice while deriving your protein from the lentils. The thing that makes them delicious is proper cooking techniques.