SPINACH-AND-GARLIC LENTILS

Spinach-and-Garlic Lentils image

This bright and satisfying lentil side dish will make you forget you ever had a dull brown one. We use orange lentils, which cook fast, and finish the whole dish with a garlic-spice butter drizzled on top.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Categories side-dish

Time 45m

Yield about 9 cups

Number Of Ingredients 12

Previous Next

Ingredients

One 2-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced, (remove seeds for less heat)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
5 ounces baby spinach (about 4 tightly packed cups)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 pound split orange lentils (masoor dal), picked through and rinsed (about 2 1/4 cups)
1 medium tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Steps:

Combine the lentils, tomato, 2 cloves of garlic, ginger, serrano chile, turmeric and 6 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a high simmer and cook, occasionally whisking vigorously, until the lentils are tender and begin to fall apart and the mixture is like a thin porridge, 15 to 18 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan in batches and stir until wilted. Add the lemon juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Remove from the heat.
Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining clove of garlic and the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Swirl until the garlic and is golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Pour the lentils into a large serving bowl and drizzle with the garlic butter. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 260 calorie, Fat 6 grams, SaturatedFat 2.5 grams, Cholesterol 10 milligrams, Sodium 400 milligrams, Carbohydrate 37 grams, Fiber 9 grams, Protein 16 grams, Sugar 2 grams