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Lentils Diavolo

Recipe picture

  • Serves: 4
  • Time: 45 min
  • Date added: 2025-02-08

Description

Lentils, like beans, soak up whatever flavors they’re cooked in. Here, it’s a chile oil made with both dried and fresh chiles, so it’s devilishly spiced — not just spicy. Simmer the lentils in the potent oil and some tomato paste until they’re glossy and tender, rich and spicy as you’d expect from a diavolo-style sauce. (Add more water if you’re after more of a quasi-chili.) Eat the lentils with a spray of lemon juice, parsley and-or bread crumbs on toast, grains, pasta, a sweet potato, bitter greens or all on their own. The lentils will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge; reheat over low heat or in the microwave loosened with a little water.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 jalapeño, halved, seeded if desired, and finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • .5 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • .25 cup tomato paste
  • 1.5 cups brown or green lentils
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the jalapeño, garlic, paprika, black pepper and red-pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
  2. Add the lentils, and cover with 1½ inches of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then lower to a gentle simmer and cook until the lentils are soft and the water has mostly evaporated, 30 to 35 minutes. If they are looking dry at any point, add a little hot water. Season with the salt and serve.

Source

NYTimes

Comments

  • 2025-02-08: delicious, with a nice amount of spice:
  • I used broth instead of water, following the lentil instructions for the amount to add, though needed to add a bit more before finished cooking.
  • Didn't have any smoked paprika, so used about 1 tsp each regular paprika, gochugaru, aleppo pepper and urfa biber (for smoked paprika and red-pepper flakes).