We always love meatless dishes. Vegetarian meals are environmentally sustainable, and provide an opportunity to add more healthy vegetables, grains and legumes to our meals. During lent, many folks look for meatless options weekly. Throughout lent, we’ll be featuring some of our favorite legumes to try in place of meaty proteins. Today, we’re in the mood for a warm bowl of red lentils.

Red lentils are sweet, quick cooking and yield a soft texture. They are often used in soups and Indian stews like dals. Uncooked, their colors range from yellow to red. Our co-op’s bulk red lentils are usually a bright orange color. Once cooked, the color mellows, and red lentils break down – they don’t hold their shape like green lentils. These beautiful legumes are the perfect base for a thick, warm stew to go with our cold snap!

Flavor: nutty and sweet

Texture: soft

Cook time: <30 min, on average

Try them!

• Red Lentil and Carrot Soup with Chipotle
• Squash, Chickpea & Red Lentil Stew
• Red Lentil Dal with Coconut Milk & Kale

What about green, black or brown lentils? Almost all colors of lentils are similar, but vary somewhat in flavor and texture. We’ll be back to talk lentils again!