A Dozen Delicious Lentil and Rice Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How healthy is lentils and rice? ›

When combined with a whole grain, like brown rice, they can give you the same quality of protein as meat. But when you eat lentils instead of red or processed meat, you make a healthier choice for your heart. Protein is a building block of bones, muscles, and skin.

Lentils can be combined with other ingredients like rice to form a “complete protein” with a full complement of amino acids.

Give them a simmer

(Here's a handy cooking chart for that.) You can also add salt, aromatics like a halved onion, herbs, and spices to the pot before the lentils and the water, like beans, or wait until they're done cooking to flavor them.

Studies suggest that regularly eating lentils promotes good health and reduces your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer, including breast cancer. The plant-based compounds (polyphenols) in lentils may have especially powerful effects.

Lentils and beans are rich in soluble fiber, which is the single best carbohydrate to help you burn belly fat. "Soluble fiber forms a thick gel when it binds with water in the body," Tracy said. "This gel that forms therefore slows digestion in the body, which keeps you feeling full for longer!

Black Lentils (Beluga lentils)

Thanks to the robust flavor, these lentils pair well with meaty veggies and marinated proteins like mushrooms, tofu, and seitan. Best of all, black lentils are the most nutritious variety of lentils, boasting the highest amount of protein, plus high levels of calcium, potassium, and iron.

The best side dishes to serve with lentils are roasted vegetables, yellow rice, couscous, caramelized onions, gobi manchurian, tomato basil soup, brown rice, grilled flatbread, Greek salad, cucumber raita, quinoa, and naan bread.

Pound for pound, raw lentils have more protein than steak. While not as protein-dense once cooked, they pack even more iron than meat, in addition to other vitamins and minerals. Fast to cook, easy to store and exalted enough to be buried with the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, these seeds have sustained empires.

Cooking lentils in boiling water significantly increased protein, starch, IDF, TDF, resistant starch, Ca, Cu and Mn content, whereas reduced ash, Fe, K, Mg, P, Zn, TIA, phytic acid, tannins, sucrose and oligosaccharides were observed.

Black Beluga lentils have the most flavor, adding a rich, earthy taste and a firm texture that holds up well during cooking.

What makes lentils taste better? ›

I toss them with lemon juice, Dijon mustard, fresh herbs, and red pepper flakes to make a nutritious side dish or base for plant-based bowls.

Lentils are a good source of potassium, however, too many lentils in the diet can cause hyperkalemia (symptoms may include vomiting, fatigue, irregular heartbeat and difficulty breathing) in people with poor kidney function.

Lentils are high in fiber, which supports regular bowel movements and the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Eating lentils can increase your stool weight and improve your overall gut function ( 5 ).

Detox Value and Health Benefits of Lentils

Lentils are one of the most nutritious foods that cleanse the liver. In fact, their detox properties aren't the best thing about this particular legume. Health benefits of lentils include but aren't limited to: Protection from cancer.

A new study from the University of Guelph shows that replacing half of the available carbohydrates from potatoes or rice with cooked lentils can lower blood glucose levels by more than 20% in healthy adults. The study appears in the Journal of Nutrition.

Lentils are not suitable for those following a strict low-carb or keto diet. While they are rich in protein and fiber, they contain a high number of total and net carbs, with one cup of cooked legumes having 39.8 grams of total carbohydrates — that's already 50% of the daily carb allowance of a keto dieter.

Lentils. A mere 1.5 cups of lentils contains just as much protein as a 3 oz chicken breast, but lentils contain the dietary fiber, copper, phosphorus, and manganese that you can't get from meat.

Overall, lentils are a highly nutritious food with various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. The fiber and protein content in lentils make them beneficial for weight management, blood sugar regulation, and supporting overall gut health.