Best Lentils Recipes

This easy taco recipe appeals to the vegetarians of the group. Lentils are cooked with bell pepper, carrot, and celery to give them an extra-meaty texture.

Add spice and heat to your next lentil soup with warm curry flavors.  Click here to see 10 Quick and Easy Vegetarian Recipes

This is another elemental stew that makes a hearty lunch on a rainy day. Serve it in large bowls with a salad of bitter greens in light vinaigrette. Lentils are drought resistant, which make them a good crop for hot summers with sparse rainfall which we often experience here in the Upper Midwest.  Our lentils, which come in various colors, sizes and flavor profiles, are from Chieftain Wild Rice Company in Spooner, Wisconsin. Because they are a pulse, or a grain legume, they lend themselves well to crop rotation since they actively fix nitrogen to the soil during the growing season.  Consequently, lentils are one cover crop that can also be harvested for profit by regional farmers. This recipe is courtesy of Heartland: Farm-Forward Dishes from the Great Midwest cookbook by Lenny Russo and Burgess Lea Press.

Bring this colorful salad featuring cherries to summer picnics and barbecues. Green lentils cook quickly and stay firm in salads, but you can substitute other types of lentils if you like — just be sure to adjust cooking times and drain the lentils when they are tender but still hold their shape. Click here to see In Season: Cherries.

This simple vegetarian chili recipe uses lentils instead of beans. Brown lentils work best as they will hold their shape even when tender after cooking. Serve over brown rice or with whole-grain hearth bread.