Batch cooking with dried lentils

Here are a couple of ideal recipes for you to try if you're spending more time in at home, and want to batch cook healthy recipes for you and the family that are still hearty and warming. 

Lentil Casserole with dumplings

Lentil & Tomato Soup

These are vegetarian, dairy free and can be made gluten free if you find substitutes for the flour and suet. 

They use dried cupboard ingredients which you can store away and are environmentally friendly due to the lack of animal products.

The lentils mean both recipes are high in protein, low in fat and very filling!

Lentil casserole with dumplings-Serves 4

Served with swede mash, roast parsnips, spinach and pickled red cabbage

Ingredients

1 white onion diced

2 carrots peeled and diced

2 celery sticks finely chopped

3 small to medium potatoes peeled and diced

1 garlic clove crushed

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 400g carton tomato passata

240g dried green lentils

130g vegetarian suet

260g self-raising flour

Frylight

Water

Worcester Sauce

Dried herbs and seasoning

Black pepper

Salt

Paprika

Oregano

Basil

Thyme

Parsley

Rosemary

1. Dice onion, 2 carrots, 3 small to medium size potatoes and 2 celery sticks. 
2. Measure out 240g dried green lentils and place in a pan with 1.5ltr water. Bring to the boil and keep on a rolling boil for 10 minutes, before reducing the heat to a simmer for a further 25 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat a few sprays of frylight and add your diced vegetables, add 1 clove crushed garlic and seasoning. Cook for 10 minutes on a medium to high heat, stirring regularly and add a splash of water if the mixture starts to stick to the pan. Add a tbsp of tomato puree and  mix in. 
4. Add 1 carton (400g) of tomato passata and stir. Add 1.5 tsp of dried oregano, paprika and basil and season again. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. 
5. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 
6. To make the dumplings, weigh out 130g vegetarian suet in a large mixing bowl and add 260g of self raising flour. Season and add 1.5 tsp dried parsley, thyme and rosemary and mix with a fork. Gradually add water to the mix to bind and mix with your fork until mixture comes together but is not wet. It should be crumble mix like texture where you can handle the mixture and mold in to balls that keep their shape. The mixture should make 9 balls which are similar size and shape to a clementine (slightly flattened.) Place them on baking paper whilst you then return to your cooking mixtures. 
7. Drain the lentils and add them to the vegetable mix. 
8. With a square oven proof dish that is suitable for 4 portions, carefully spoon in 2/3 of the lentil mix without taking too much of the liquid out as you don't want it to be too wet that your raw dumplings sink in. 
9. Add your dumpling balls in 3 x 3 neat rows. 
10. Place in to the preheated oven for 25 mins and check to see if your dumplings have risen, are slightly brown and have hard tops when you touch them. If it needs a further 5 minutes in the oven, allow for this. 

I serve my lentils and dumplings with mashed swede. I make this by dicing a full swede, placing in a pan with enough water to cover and a vegetable stock cube. Bring to the boil and then allow to cook on a high simmer for 30 minutes. When soft, drain and mash with seasoning. 

For my roast parsnips, I allow for 1 per person, peel and chop them in to 5cm by 1cm wide batons. I place these in an oven proof dish with several sprays of frylight, seasoning and a sprinkle of dried rosemary and thyme. These cook at the same temperature for about 30-40 minutes. 

I serve the whole dish with a handful of fresh spinach per person and a tbsp of pickled red cabbage. 

Lentil and Tomato soup-Serves 2

1. Return to the leftover lentil mix, add 2-3 cups of water depending on how liquid you like your soup to be in texture.
2. Add 1 tbsp of Worcester sauce, a grind of black pepper and another 1 tsp of paprika. 
3. Reheat the mixture to serve immediately or decant into 2 tupperware tubs, chill and then refrigerate or freeze. 
4. To reheat from chilled, microwave with a handful of fresh spinach for 4 mins (stirring half way through)
5. Great to serve with vegetable crudites.