About the Food: Why Lentils are great for your diet

About the Food: Why Lentils are great for your diet

Published 8:45 am Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Have you noticed, in. recent years that almost everyone, it seems, is on some kind of diet? After the Atkins diet, we have seen the Paleo diet, the Carnivore diet, sugar-free diets, Raw diet, vegetarian, Lacto-ovo vegetarian, pesco vegetarian, vegan, and on and on.

All these diets either eliminate or highly restrict certain food groups while espousing the benefits of consuming certain classes of foods. Some diet to lose weight. Some diet for better health.

Over the years, I think I have tried every fad diet that reached any level of popularity. I did not stick with any of them. A couple of years ago, I gave up on diets. I began eating whole foods. I stopped eating processed foods that tend to be high in sodium and added sugar. I focused on vegetables that grow above the ground and limited those vegetables that grow below the ground. I eat fruit every day. I still eat meat, and I love eggs and cheeses. I deprive myself of nothing.

I used to say, I need to lose the weight of a small farm animal. Over the past two years I have done exactly that. All without dieting. Losing the weight equivalent of a feed sack and a half has not been fast, but it has been steady. It is amazing how eating whole foods keeps me from being hungry and prevents me from overeating.

I look for foods that I like, but that I may not have eaten in some time. One of those foods is lentils. Lentils are a legume like beans and peas. Lentils are high in fiber and rich in protein.

They are a good source of iron and are high in antioxidants. Lentils are low on the glycemic index and help to control blood sugar. They are very affordable and taste great to boot. You will find them in stews, on salads, as a component in meatless burgers, and as a thickening agent in soups.

Lentils are not newcomers to the food scene. They have provided sustenance since prehistoric times and have been cultivated for over 6,000 years. It is believed they originated in the Near East and the Mediterranean.

Just like beans, lentils come in a variety of colors, flavors and textures.

Brown and Green Lentils: When you think of lentils, these are the ones that probably come to mind. They cook quickly, in about twenty to thirty minutes. They tend to split and fall apart when they are cooked through. Use these lentils for soups and stews when you are looking for thickening and a mild earthy flavor. These lentils also make a great spread or pureed dip.

Red Lentils: Some Red lentils are red, but they also move into the yellow to orange category. They are almost interchangeable with the Brown and Green lentils. They cook in twenty to thirty minutes and tend toward the mushy side when full cooked. In this context mushiness is exactly what you are looking for in certain soups and stews.

French Lentils of Puy Lentils: Unlike Brown, Green, or Red lentils, French lentils have a thick skin, so they do not fall apart when fully cooked. This makes them the perfect lentil for side dishes or other non-soup applications. They retain their shape and are delicious in salads. Because of their thicker skin they take a little longer to cook. They will be done in forty-five to fifty minutes. Try them dressed in a little oil and vinegar topped with some crumbly cheese.

Black Beluga Lentils: These are the most flavorful of all the lentils and are also the most difficult to find. In texture, they are a cross between the French lentils and the Brown lentils. They are just as good in salads as they are in soups and stews. They are almost spherical in shape and have a thick skin. Cook them for thirty minutes and they retain their shape like French lentils. Cook them for forty minutes and they have a similar texture to Brown lentils.

Today’s recipe is a stew made with Brown lentils, carrots, onions, and garlic. I hope you will give it a try. It is great with crusty bread and maybe a couple of sausage links.

Grilled Sausage with Lentils

Ingredients

 

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium onion (about 1 cup)

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into fine dice (about ½ cup)

2 medium cloves of garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)

8 ounces (about 1 cup) Brown lentils

2 cups home-made or low-sodium commercial chicken stock

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sausage of choice

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1Tbsp red wine vinegar

Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

 

Instructions

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in dried thyme and cumin. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the lentils and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are fully tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the lid and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat to evaporate any remaining liquid, stirring occasionally.

Grill the sausages.

Stir most of the parsley, olive oil, and red wine vinegar into the lentils, reserving some for garnish. Slice the sausages on a bias if desired. Serve the lentils, topped with the sausages, sprinkled with remaining parsley and drizzled with olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese for garnish.

Dennis Patillo is a regular columnist for the Victoria Advocate.