(About 6 servings)
Make this lentil chile with or without meat; it’s substantial either way.
- 2 ½ cups (1 lb.) lentils
- About 1 ½ quarts (6 cups), boiling, salted water
- 1 pound lean ground beef—or turkey (optional)
- 2 tablespoons salad oil (optional)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce
- Salt and cayenne
- Water (optional)
- Condiments (see below)
First: pick over lentils, discarding any bad ones or debris and rinse to remove any dirt.
In a 5-quart Dutch oven (large, heavy cooking pot with lid), cook the lentils in the water until tender, about 30 minutes; drain. (I don’t drain off all the water; otherwise you may have to add more to thin out the chile.)
You can use a separate pan, like a frying pan, leaving the lentils in the big pot, or you can put the lentils in a separate container and use the Dutch oven for the next steps.
Cook the ground meat, if using, over medium heat until browned and crumbly. If not using meat, add oil to pan and sauté onion and garlic until limp; otherwise just sauté with the meat. Add chili powder and tomato sauce. (I like to use 1 can sauce and 1 can stewed tomatoes, broken up into chunks.) Simmer covered for 15 to 30 minutes. Combine sauce and lentils into the Dutch oven and cook until hot. Add salt and cayenne to taste. If you’ve thrown away or drained off all the lentil cooking water, you may have to add some to achieve the desired consistency. Ladle into bowls and serve with condiments of your choice.
- Corn chips
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced green pepper
- Chopped mild onion
- Shredded Jack or cheddar cheese
- Diced avocado
- Taco sauce