Creamy Tomato Lentils

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  • Oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes, for cooking
  • 1½ C dry black, brown or green lentils, 3 C cooked, or 2 cans drained and rinsed
  • 1 SM onion (diced)
  • 6 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 TSP fennel seeds (crushed)
  • 1 TBS Italian seasoning
  • 1 TSP smoked paprika
  • 3 TBS tomato paste
  • ½ C sun dried tomatoes (chopped)
  • 3 C (720 ML) stock
  • 1 C (240 ML) heavy cream
  • 1 C (100 GR) parmesan, pecorino or Italian hard cheese
  • 1 bunch basil (chopped)
  • Lemon juice
  1. If you’re cooking your lentils from dry, start this process before you even start prepping the other ingredients. They can cook while you gather, prep and start the sauce.
    1. For black lentils:
      1. Instant Pot: 1½ C of lentils + 3 C of salted water, cook on HIGH for 9 minutes, followed by a natural release for 10 minutes.
      2. Stovetop: 1½ C of lentils + 5 C of salted water. Simmer for around 20 minutes until soft, but a little al dente.
  2. In a large, deep sided saute pan, heat a few TBS of the oil from your sundried tomato jar. Keeping the heat low-medium, saute the onions until soft and then add the garlic. Saute for another 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.
  3. Add the fennel seeds and saute until the fragrance is released, then quickly add a little extra oil and the smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Saute for a few more moments (keeping the heat low) until the fragrance is released and the spices are well distributed through the oil. Move on quickly – we don’t want the spices to burn!
  4. Add the tomato paste and sundried tomatoes and saute until they are well mixed in with the onions, garlic, spices and oil.
  5. Turn off the heat and set aside while you get your lentils ready.
  6. Drain your lentils in a fine sieve once they’re cooked, or if you’re using canned.
  7. Rinse them until the water is running clear – this is an important step keep the sauce from being muddied by the color of the dark cooking water.
  8. Add the vegetable stock to the pan and mix thoroughly. Add the lentils to the pan and stir. Turn the heat back up.
  9. Simmer for 10 minutes. Start off with the pan covered, but uncover it for the last couple of minutes. The sauce should thicken up as the lentils drink up some of the water.
  10. Finally, stir in the cream, cheese and basil over a very low heat until the cheese has melted through and the basil has wilted into the sauce.
  11. Allow to sit (covered) for 5 minutes to thicken up, then give it another stir and serve with a dash of lemon juice.

Yields 6 servings.

Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 605mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1107IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 283mg | Iron: 4mg

https://www.happyveggiekitchen.com/wprm_print/creamy-marry-me-lentils