Lentils! Lentejas! As a kid, I associated eating lentils with days of Lent. Mom would prepare them simply with carrots and potatoes and they were delicious. The day it dawned on me that I could just use lentils as I would beans, I wanted to experiment with various dishes. This dish is inspired by Carne guisada con papas. Obviously, there is no meat, but it would be delicious with the lentils and potatoes!
Basics! Basics! Basics!
If you are like me, you don’t enjoy running out to the market every time you are missing an ingredient. I remember a neighbor of mine knocking on my door quite often asking to borrow food ingredients! Lol! Not sure why the word borrow was used. They never returned what they borrowed, lol! Anyway, what I was getting to was that if you cook often make yourself a list of your go to ingredients. Try to keep lentejas(lentils), beans, rice, pasta stocked in your pantry. The same goes for spices and select canned goods. As far as produce goes, let’s just say that you should be able to produce at least two different salsa recipes at a moment’s notice!
The video is a bit longer with some narration as I was cooking that day.
Tortillas Make Everything Better!
Add warm corn or flour homemade tortillas to any dish, even meatless dishes and it somehow becomes more satisfying. This lentil and potatoes with that chile puya tomatillo salsa is delicious in tacos, enchiladas and burritos. I rolled a warm corn tortilla and dipped it into the bowl, scooping up what I could. So tasty!
Sauté the aromatics. Add the rinsed lentils, salsa and broth. You can use the salsa of your choice in this recipe. For this recipe I added some previously prepared Chile Puya Tomatillo Salsa. It had a little bite and was tasty with the lentils.
Once you add all of your ingredients, cook at a steady simmer for 10 minutes before adding the potatoes.
Not a fan of cilantro? Skip it! It’s ok! Add parsley if you prefer. It’s nice to add a touch of freshness with herbs towards the end of the cooking time.
If you prefer your lentils to be more like a soup, simply add more broth!
The addition of some cubes of queso fresco or avocado makes this dish!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsps avocado or olive oil
- ½ white onion 140 gr, diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cloves of garlic 12 gr, minced
- 1 c lentils previously rinsed
- 1 c salsa your choice(see recipe for chile puya tomatillo salsa)
- 4 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 white potatoes 392 gr, peeled and diced
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tbsps. cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, preheat the oil at medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the lentils and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Pour in the salsa and 3 cups of the broth. Stir well to combine. Bring up to a light simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, cumin and remaining broth. Stir well to combine. Taste for salt. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Fold in the cilantro. Continue cooking until lentils and potatoes are cooked through and tender. Cook time on my stove was approximately 42 minutes from the time the lentils begin to simmer. Yields 6 servings.
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