One evening my husband and I were discussing that night’s dinner plans. Of course, I knew what we were having for dinner, since I had planned the week’s meals out. The Omnivore asked what was on the docket and I replied “lentils and rice.”
Enter whine. It went something like this: “I don’t like lentils and rice. We live on a farm now and I work hard. During the time we lived apart I fed myself so well. I want something like meat for dinner. I hate lentils.” 
Wow. Moving back in together is going to take quite a dietary adjustment, I see.
I was feeling particularly generous so I said, “Ok. How about some sausage and pasta.”
He felt triumphant.
I found a frozen tube of Jimmy Dean sage flavored sausage in the freezer and threw it in the sink to thaw. Meanwhile, I began chopping the ingredients for my meal. Out came 6 cloves of garlic, an onion, and a handful of parsley.
Suddenly, a little voice from the side of the kitchen squeaked, “Is it too late to have what you’re having? I take that whole meat thing back.”
Yeah. I thought so. Back in the fridge that sausage went and a I quickly doubled the recipe for my red lentils and cous cous so that I could share with the Omnivore. And boy was he happy I was so generous!
PrintRed Lentils with Garlic and Onion
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Savory red lentils cooked with garlic and onion, served over couscous for a hearty and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
for the lentils
- 2 cups (475 mL) uncooked red lentils, rinsed
- 4 cups (950 mL) water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 12 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
for the cous cous
- 1 cup (240 mL) whole wheat cous cous
- 1 cup (240 mL) boiling water
- olive oil
- 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a medium pot, combine the rinsed lentils, turmeric, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the lentils are very soft and pulpy.
- Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the sliced onion and cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Once the lentils are cooked, add the onion and garlic mixture to the pot of lentils. Stir well to combine.
- Season with salt and stir in the chopped parsley just before serving.
Notes
For a heartier meal, serve the lentils over couscous or rice. You can substitute the canola oil with olive oil for a richer flavor. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4 grams
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbohydrates: 50 grams
- Fiber: 15 grams
- Protein: 18 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Cooked this for my brother’s visit last weekend. The garlic really came through! He went back for seconds, always a good sign.
Glad to hear!!!
The one star review likely reflects frustration. Think it was unkind. It’s tough to write a procedure that addresses all skill levels.
The recipe is a keeper. I added curry powder to the lentil mixture, used thinned chicken broth instead of straight water and cut the salt in half. To the onion mixture I added some diced tomato and diced red pepper as the cooking was nearing completion.
Delicious, and not a difficult recipe to follow. There could be clarification on a couple things, but someone leaving a one star review because they lack critical thinking skills is absurd.
I saw the rating on this dish was at a 1. I love this dish and would give it a 4. It doesn’t look like much, but if you get the seasoning right – turmeric, onions and garlic, it is yummy. I usually double the recipe so that I have it around for a while and can eat off of it for several days. Pealing the garlic is a bit of a pain – but put all the garlic in a stainless steel pot with the lid on and shake it til the garlic skins come off and viola! the garlic is pealed.
Put lentils, turmeric and 4 cups water into a medium pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are very soft and pulpy, about 15 minutes.
Heat CANOLA oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until golden brown, taking care not to burn them.
Add onion mixture to lentils and stir well.
for the cous cous
Boil water for cous cous stovetop.
Add cous cous to boiling water and cover 5 minutes, removing part from heat.
Fluff with fork and add parsley. Combine with lentils. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired
I found this recipe to be very confusing!
Recipe calls for Canola and Olive oils, but instructions say ‘heat oil’, which one? both?
in the ‘for lentils’ area, you mention, ‘boil water for cous cous’, shouldn’t this be in the next section? ‘1’ for cous cous, says ‘add cous cous’…to what? the lentils? When is the olive oil used? it’s not mentioned in the steps. Is the salt used with the boiling water or added after cooking? Really, I was excited to try this recipe, but it needs much clarification. Thanks.
Great recipe on it’s own! I also made a variant where I doubled the turmeric and added a generous pinch of Garam Masala. I added finely diced green pepper to the onion and garlic mix and added two finely diced Roma tomatos when nearly finished browning. For those who must have meat, a half pound of browned, diced turkey sausage also goes nicely. Personally, i find that the browning brings out subtle, but rich, layers of flavor.
Lovely story and delicious dish.
Nice job turning a meat lover over to this delightful dish :)