I’ve relatively recently learned about red lentil pasta, and it’s just about sworn me off wheat pasta forever. It’s healthier, it’s extremely filling, and it’s actually tasty. I can’t eat plain pasta, it’s just so bland, I need pepper at the least, or sauce and grated cheese. But with red lentil pasta, I’m content just eating it as it is.

I guess that doesn’t answer your question, but I haven’t actually had any other lentils, so for now I’ll say red is my favorite until given reason to say otherwise.

I made a simple curry today which was mainly dried red lentils, with spinach, peas, carrot, and onion. I also regularly make a pasta bake with red lentils, and have previously used tinned brown lentils for slow cooker stews.

Lately, my go-to lazy meal has been rice with pancharatna (5-jewel) daal. It is hearty, easy, and does not need a lot of spices to be flavourful.

Udad daal Masoor daal Moong daal Chana daal Arhar daal (Please check translations online as they have various names in English. These are the Hindi names.)

Half a cup of this mix in a pressure cooker with one cup of water, or slow cook it in a saucepan. Ghee in a saucepan, as much as you want + some oil to prevent it from burning. Cumin, 2-3 cloves of garlic and one green chilli cut in half lengthwise. Pinch of salt. When the garlic is golden, put in some chopped tomatoes, add half a teaspoon of turmeric and half tsp salt, and fry until mushy. Drop in the lentils and cook slowly. Add water if you want it more runny. Taste and add the final bit of salt to taste Optional garnish with coriander leaves and best served with basmati rice.

Try cooking the basmati rice with a couple of cloves and a bay leaf for that added aroma.

TIL about different types of lentils.

We always have a few cans of the brown ones which is just used as like a replacement for ground beef in things like chilli, pasta. And ofc just in curries. Idk they seem to go very well in a lot of random stuff.

Would anyone recommend trying out other colors of lentils? Or is the taste/price/nutrition not really worth it?

Black/brown lentils in dhal makhani. Dirt cheap readymade packages at the grocery store too.

Other than that, I used to make spicy red lentil soup with the recipe on the back of the bag from Costco but made myself sick of it years ago.

I put them in the rice cooker and I add vegetables and beef and egg and butter and anything else I feel like and it’s really good and it’s better than rice. thank you very much

You can also make tofu out of lentils: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/easy-homemade-lentil-tofu/#recipe

Once a month I fill the pressure cooker with a variety of beans, brown and/or red lentils, peppers, onions, jalapeños, garlic, and sometimes kale, mushrooms, whatever is around. I overcook just slightly so the lentils break up and become my “meat”. Then I freeze most and slowly work through it over the month using it at work for lunch burritos, nachos, in ramen, over rice, etc. Cheap and handy and is the staple of my diet.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenteja_pardina

Fry onions, garlic, chorizo and tomato with olive oil

Add water, lentils, potatoes, bay leaf and salt.

Cook in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes.

I don’t know why it’s preferred to use this type. Some ancient Spanish knowledge I guess.

Moroccan red lentil stew

Red split lentils all the way! They’re great for soup that thickens itself. Great in stews or curries to thicken it a bit. There’s no danger of them having a bad texture like can happen with other lentils and they cook much quicker.

Green or brown lentils in a vegetable broth stew with carrots, potatos, an onion, and sausages. Make a big pot and freeze and few servings. There are better versions of this stew but I’m too lazy to prepare more ingredients

I only really get brown lentils, the two things I tend to use them for are the main ingredient in soup (along with carrots onions potatoes etc), and for fried lentils on rice.

Brown lentils.

• Dice onions, celery, carrots, in equal volume.

• Stirfry them in a pot with some olive oil.

• Throw in a sausage or some other meat with a strong flavour, just a small amount, stirfry until the outside is seared.

• Add a can of lentils and a can of tomato chunks and sauce, cook until the chunks have rendered.

• Serve with polenta or another neutral side.

With sausages (or plant based alternatives), potatoes, carrots, rice, classic cultural dish from my family, enjoy the constipation