Welcome back to a new year and new recipes for “I Made it So You Don’t Have To.” For those that are just joining, in this column I explore recipes on TikTok which seems to be the new cookbook of today. This week I have decided to take an alternate course due to TikTok’s impending ban, but I will resume making these recipes next week.
With the return to school, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with work and many may not have time to labor through difficult recipes every day. So, I have decided to make something that can be meal-prepped, consumed multiple days in a row without worry of health concerns and enjoyed as if it were prepared that day.
Today’s recipe is lentils over rice. Served with Parmesan cheese, this makes for a delicious lunch or dinner. It can sit for a few days as well and be microwaved to feel as if it was just made. The best part is it is healthy—something I know I am desperately in search of after the holidays.
First, add all of your lentils to a bowl with water high enough that the line sits above them. Let these soak for about 15 minutes so they become softer and get rid of any starches on their surface. In the meantime, cut up one and a half onions, one red bell pepper (making sure to cut out the stem) and add it to the food processor and pulse the vegetables. It is up to you how fine you want them cut. I know I do not like crunching on an onion in the middle of a meal, so I make sure to process them until they are really fine.
Now for the more powerful flavor, cut up four slices of bacon into small bits and then throw them in a pot with a little bit of olive oil to cook for about seven minutes on medium to medium-high heat. Let the bits cook until browned and then immediately add onions and red pepper. Let these sauté for about five minutes on medium heat. Once the vegetables have been sufficiently cooked, then add your lentils to the pot.
Next is where the tedious part of the recipe comes in. Start with four cups of water and keep the heat between medium and medium-low. If you put the lentils on too high heat, then it will make them mushy. Add one tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon roasted beef base. This gives the lentils a much-needed depth of flavor. Add in your salt, pepper and nutmeg. Let roughly half of the water boil out and add another cup of water. Repeat this step five to six times depending on how quickly the lentils cook. For me, it was about thirty minutes before they were ready. Adjust seasonings to taste. If you want to give it a kick of heat, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.
Remember to keep tasting. While you are waiting for the lentils to be done, add about two cups of rice to a pot and four cups of water to a pot and salt it like the ocean. Let the rice cook on medium-high heat for about ten minutes, stirring the rice every now and then so it does not stick at the bottom. Then, lower the heat to medium low for five minutes and lastly steam with no heat for another five minutes. This process for rice is called the ten-five-five rule. Never again have I had issues with making rice as I had before.
Once the lentils are at a nice, soft consistency, strain out the water so it stops the cooking process, otherwise, they will turn out mushy. Finally, you have all the things you need. Serve the rice first and then lentils above topped with Parmesan cheese.
When making this recipe, it is important to keep adding water to the lentils because, if they are left untended, the bottom of the pan will burn them. While this recipe does take some time watching and adding water, it more than makes up for it in simplicity, healthiness and cost. It only uses six ingredients and three spices, making it a respectable recipe for a college student. This comfortably made four portions, which could be stretched out to five or six portions, making it a perfect meal prep for the week.
Ingredients:
One bag of Goya lentils
Two cups rice
One red bell pepper
One and a half onions
14 cups water (total)
One-quarter tsp of nutmeg
One-half tbsp salt
One-quarter tbsp pepper
Four slices of thick-cut bacon
One tbsp of Better Than Bouillon roasted beef base
Rating: 4.5/5
Cost: $18.19