I was introduced to lentils done this way by my host mom in Belgium when I was an exchange student. It was a hearty meal at the end of a drizzly belgian winter day. Comfort food for my homesick Canadian heart. Paired with creamy mashed potatoes, they reminded me of my mom’s shepherd’s pie, deconstructed.
The dish is savoury and rich. And most of the creaminess comes from the lentils themselves – making them a rare breed of virtuous comfort food. The trick is to cook them in plenty of liquid for an longer time, allowing them to break down. My host mom says she didn’t add any cream at all to hers – but I like the bit of added richness.
New to lentils? This is the place to start. I love these little morsels because they don’t need to be pre-soaked, as other dried beans do, and they cook in 20 minutes. I love them in salads in the summer, and in soups in the winter. They’re loaded with protein and fibre.
Dried lentils often have bits of non-lentil matter mixed in, so you should sort through them and then rinse them well. The other thing with cooking lentils from scratch is to make sure you don’t add any salt until they are tender. Salt makes them tough.
This is a perfect, healthy dish for a chilly day. And I’d bet kids would love it – with its creamy texture and mild flavours.
Creamy Lentils
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups dried brown lentils picked over and rinsed
- 5 cups water plus more if needed
- ½ cup half-and-half (10%) cream
- salt to taste
- fresh parsley optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
- Stir in the lentils and water; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft. Add more water as needed if they're drying out — you want them quite saucy and very tender.
- Stir in the cream and season well with salt. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired, and serve over creamy mashed potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
