Spiced Lentils with Carrots
(from Peachblossm’s recipe box)
*Raisins are the more economical choice here (golden or purple raisins), but I happened to have dried apricots on hand so I used those instead of buying raisins specifically for this recipe.
Source: https://www.budgetbytes.com/wprm_print/59902
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Serves 4 people
Categories: dinner, lentils, soup
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 4 carrots (about 2 cups chopped)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots or raisins*
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
Directions
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Dice the onion, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and peel and dice the carrots.
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Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and olive oil to a deep skillet. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about five minutes).
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Add the diced carrots, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, and crushed red pepper to the skillet. Continue to sauté for about two minutes more.
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Next, add the uncooked lentils, tomato paste, raisins or chopped apricots, and broth to the skillet. Stir until the tomato paste has dissolved into the broth. Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to high.
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Allow the broth to come to a full boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the lentils simmer in the broth with the lid on for 30 minutes, stirring only occasionally.
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After 30 minutes the lentils and carrots should be very tender. Give the lentils a taste and add salt or pepper if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth, I did not add any).
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Serve the spiced lentils with crusty bread for dipping, or over a bed of polenta or mashed potatoes. Top with chopped fresh parsley if desired.