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When I ask my friends whether they like lentils or not, their immediate reaction is that they aren’t sure what they are, what they taste like, and how they’re supposed to cook them.

So, if you’re like most people in the UK, you might be unfamiliar with lentils.

However, I guarantee you’ll love their awesome nutritious qualities once you start including them in your diet.

So in this post, let me share my go-to lentil soup recipe with a mix of carrots and celery.

It’s simple, super healthy and filled with comforting flavours — a perfect soup to warm up a cold day!

What are lentils?

Lentils are part of the legume family. They’re pulses and relatively small crops compared to other legumes, such as soya beans, chickpeas and pinto beans.

Some people once said that lentils are cousins to beans but are much smaller and require no soaking before cooking.

Another way to think of lentils is they are edible seeds.

From an environmental point of view, lentil crops act as soil fertilizer because they add nitrogen to the soil, and nitrogen helps plants grow!

Not only that, but lentil crops also foster soil microbial diversity even after being harvested. So, lentils usually are intercropped with cereals to achieve higher crop yields.

Research also shows that growing lentils produces a negative carbon footprint. 

Overall, growing and eating more lentils can make a positive contribution to the environment and provides much better sustainability than other crops, such as almonds, sugar cane farms or palm plantation.

When did humans start eating lentils? 

Lentils are ancient crops whose history can go back as far as 13,000 years.

They were first recorded in Northern Syria around 8,000 B.C., and by 6,000 B.C., they reached Greece and, much later, Egypt, Rome and other Middle East regions.

Lentils were the first plant cultivated by humans, together with wheat and barley.

Today, lentils are a staple food in many countries, including India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Egypt and Algeria.

Especially in India, the country consumes nearly half of the world’s lentils. They’re also the world’s second-largest lentil producer after Canada. 

I first tasted lentils in Indian curry and never forgot that wonderful dish, which left me feeling satisfied and healthy.

How many different types of lentils? 

Lentils come in many shapes, sizes and colours.

There are five main types: brown lentils, green lentils, black lentils, red lentils and French green lentils, and each type contains several varieties.

Among those different types, brown lentils are the most common ones. That’s why they’re sometimes referred to as the universal lentil.

Red spilt lentils don’t have a seed coat to protect them, so they break down faster, which reduces the cooking time quite a bit compared to other lentils.

Thus, if you don’t want your red lentils to get too mushy, make sure you don’t overcook them.

Lastly, the rarest lentils would be black ones because they can only be grown in cool and dry climates.

However, black lentils are the most nutritious type because they contain the highest amount of protein.

Types of lentils	Whole or split	Flavour	Cooking time	Water ratio	Good for
Brown lentil	whole	nutty & sweet	30 – 35 mins	1 cup of lentils to 3 cups of water	stews, soups, veggie burgers
Green lentils	whole	peppery	30 – 35 mins	1 cup of lentils to 3 cups of water	salads, soups, side dishes
Black lentils (aka Beluga lentils)	whole	strong earthy	35 – 40 mins	1 cup of lentils to 4 cups of water	salads
Red lentils	split	mild & nutty	12 – 15 mins	1 cup of lentils to 2 cups of water	curries, dips, soups, veggie pie
French green lentils (aka puy lentils)	whole	strong peppery	30 – 35 mins	1 cup of lentils to 3 cups of water	salads, soup or side dishes

** Whole lentils tend to hold their shape better after being cooked.

** Split lentils mean they have their outer coating, i.e. husks, removed.

How to cook dry lentils?

The very first step is to sift through lentils for stones or debris.

Then rinse them with cold water very well until the water runs clear.

When rinsing, try to capture the water in a large bowl to save the water and use it for another purpose, such as watering your plants.

Next, you can soak them. Though, unlike dry beans, soaking lentils before cooking is optional.

However, I often soak lentils in cold water an hour before cooking because I know that can reduce at least one-third of the cooking time.

The soaking also helps us digest lentils more easily once they’re cooked.

Another common question about cooking lentils is whether it’s okay to add salt at the beginning of the cooking.

Some people claim that adding salt before the lentils are cooked will toughen their skin.

But I don’t think it’s entirely true.

If you only cook lentils and no other ingredients in a pot, then add salt once your lentils are tender.

However, if you incorporate lentils with other ingredients in the pot, such as veggies or beans, then you can add salt before the lentils are cooked through.

Now, pour the lentils into a large saucepan and add cold water based on the water ratio provided in the table above.

Bring water to the boil and simmer according to the cooking time suggested above.

Remember, lentils’ cooking time depends on the variety chosen!

5 to 10 minutes before the cooking time is up, check your lentils and see if they need more time to be cooked.

Bear in mind that some powerful hobs/stoves might cook lentils much faster.

Also, instead of adding cold water, you can use vegetable stock to add more flavour to the cooked lentils.

Lentils could be double or triple the volume once they’re cooked.

Cooked lentils can last four days in the fridge, and frozen ones can last at least two months.

If you plan to freeze cooked lentils, you can undercook them a bit to ensure a better texture once you defrost and cook them with other meals for a few minutes.

What are the health benefits of lentils? 

Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse! They are a great source of proteins and dietary fibre.

Besides, lentils have the most potent antioxidant properties compared to other legumes, such as chickpeas or black beans, because of their high selenium.

They’re also rich in folate (B9), magnesium and potassium. Folate helps our blood cells carry more oxygen, and magnesium and potassium naturally decrease blood pressure.

Lentils are once considered ‘poor men’s food‘ because they’re rich in various nutrients but low in price.

They’re versatile ingredients and can be cooked with different dishes.

When we consume lentils regularly, we will receive the following health benefits: 

• lower blood pressure
• reduce inflammation
• increase gut health
• boost energy
• help with metabolism 
• facilitate bowel movement

So, are you ready to try my go-to lentil soup recipe and reap all the health benefits lentils offer?