Okay, so yesterday I finally tackled that bag of dried lentils gathering dust in my pantry. You know the one – bought with grand healthy intentions, then ignored. Found this idea online for fast, cheap, high-protein lentil dishes. Figured even I couldn’t mess it up too bad.
Raiding the Pantry
First step was digging through my kitchen. Found:
- The sad bag of brown lentils
- A half-used onion starting to sprout
- That lone carrot looking kinda bendy but not dead yet
- Some sad celery stalks
- A huge jar of minced garlic (lifesaver)
- Basic seasonings: cumin, paprika, dried oregano, salt, pepper
- A mostly empty box of veggie broth
Good enough. Chopped that onion, carrot, and celery into tiny pieces. My knife skills are still terrible, ended up with wonky chunks. Whatevs.
Pot Action: Lentil Soup
Heated my biggest pot with a glug of olive oil on medium heat. Threw in the chopped veggies. Sizzle fest! Cooked ’em about 10 minutes until soft-ish. Added a massive spoonful of minced garlic, dumped in a cup of those dried lentils, poured in what was left of the broth (plus water to cover the lentils by about two inches), hit it heavy with cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stirred it all up.
Brought it to a boil, then slammed the lid on and turned the heat down low. Left it bubbling gently for like 35 minutes. Checked a few times – added more water once when it got too thick. Lentils went from hard little rocks to soft and creamy. Magic. Ended up with a huge pot of thick, spicy lentil soup. Lunch sorted for days.
Quick ‘N’ Dirty: Garlicky Lentils
Next experiment was even easier. Had extra cooked lentils. Heated a pan, dumped in more olive oil and minced garlic (lots). Fried the garlic for maybe 30 seconds ’til it smelled amazing, tossed in about two cups of the plain cooked lentils. Sprinkled heavily with salt, pepper, and oregano. Stirred it around for five minutes. Boom. Instant, garlicky side dish. Tasted way fancier than five minutes of work deserved.
The Stealth Move: Lentil Taco Filling
Got sneaky. Had leftover soup that was super thick. Mashed about a cup of it roughly with a fork. Heated a pan, dumped in the mash. Added extra cumin and some chili powder. Let it sizzle and dry out a bit, stirring like ground meat. Piled it onto tortillas with chopped tomatoes and hot sauce. My carnivore roommate didn’t even blink – total win.
Lesson Learned
Lentils rock. Seriously cheap, seriously filling. Didn’t follow fancy recipes, just threw basic stuff together. Made:
- Huge pot of spicy lentil soup
- Garlicky lentils as a side
- Taco “meat” with leftovers
- Ate some plain cooked lentils cold in salad (don’t knock it ’til you try it)
- Froze two portions of soup for later
- Lentils stirred into pasta sauce for extra protein
- Lentils mixed with rice and frozen veggies (emergency microwave meal)
Zero stress, under $5 total for all that protein. Pantry staple officially promoted.