How much does 1 cup dry red lentils make?

As a general rule, one cup of dried lentils yields two to two-and-a-half cups of cooked lentils .

How to make and eat lentils?

To prepare lentils, first rinse them in a strainer. Next, place one cup of lentils in a large pot with 2½ cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well.

How many cups of lentils for 2 people?

Cooking lentils on the stove: Method Note: Dried out lentil varieties don't need to be soaked. 1 cup of dried lentils yields 2 1/2 cups of cooked lentils. Serving size per person is ¼ cup .

Is it okay to eat red lentils everyday?

Eating lentils every day is generally not harmful and can actually be beneficial for your health . Lentils are a good source of protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. They are also low in fat and calories, making them a great food to include in a healthy and balanced diet.

What do lentils do to your body?

Lentils have plenty of folate, iron and vitamin B1, which also support your heart health. Lentils may be associated with a lower risk of heart disease, by lowering bad cholesterol and blood pressure. One study found that eating lentils led to greater reductions in blood pressure than eating chickpeas, peas or beans.

What makes lentils taste better?

If you don't have stock on hand, add onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves and/or herbs to the pot. All of these are mild flavors that can jump in any direction depending on how you're going to use the cooked lentils.

What's the healthiest way to eat lentils?

Lentils are a nutritious food that's low-fat and high in protein and fiber. While they make a delicious addition to a soup, stew or salad, you should not eat them raw . No matter which type of lentils you buy, you can easily cook them by boiling your lentils in water on the stove.

How much lentils is 1 cup dry?

1 cup dry lentils = about 2 ½ cups cooked lentils . Lentils increase in volume about 2 ½ times when cooked. How much is 1 serving of lentils? Plan for about 1 to 1 ½ cups of cooked lentils per serving.

How much is 1 cup of red lentils?

Lentils, pink or red, raw weigh(s) 203 grams per metric cup or 6.8 ounces per US cup, and contain(s) 358 calories per 100 grams (≈3.53 ounces) [ weight to volume | volume to weight | price | density ]

How much liquid for 1 cup of red lentils?

Rinse your lentils with fresh water before boiling to remove any dust or debris. Cook on a stovetop, using 3 cups of liquid (water, stock, etc) to 1 cup of dry lentils . Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size.

How many calories are in 1 cup of dry red lentils?

Roland Nutrition Facts For a Serving Size of 1 cup (138.92g) How many calories are in Red Lentils, dry? Amount of calories in Red Lentils, dry: Calories 480 Calories from Fat 0 (0%) % Daily Value * How much fat is in Red Lentils, dry? Amount of fat in Red Lentils, dry: Total Fat 0g - 11 more rows

Marinated Lentil Salad Recipe - Budget Bytes (2024)

I’m trying to stock my fridge with some healthy options for the week ahead because I didn’t do so well last week. So, this morning I threw together some of my favorite flavors (garlic, lemon, feta) into an easy Marinated Lentil Salad. This salad makes a great side dish on its own, or you can bulk it up a number of ways to turn it into its own meal.

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What Kind of Lentils Work Best for Lentil Salad?

I suggest a firm variety, like brown or green. I used brown lentils, which only take about 20 minutes to cook in boiling water. Green lentils take much longer, about 45 minutes. If you’re unsure of what type you have, check the cooking instructions on the package. I do not suggest using red, yellow, or orange lentils for this recipe, as they do not hold their shape when cooked.

Make Lentil Salad a Meal

If you want to bulk this up, you could add any of the following:

chopped rotisserie chicken
chickpeas
chopped cucumber
chopped bell pepper
or even cooked and cooled rice

Serve as a salad or stuff it into a pita! I especially like to mix a dollop of hummus with the Marinated lentil salad, which gives even more garlicky flavor and a wonderful texture contrast to the lentils.

Tomato Options

The most expensive ingredient in this salad for me was the pint of grape tomatoes. They can be quite pricey, so if you want to cut costs even further just replace the grape tomatoes with about 3 diced Roma tomatoes, or whatever variety of tomato is least expensive at your grocery store. I tend to like Roma the best as a second choice here because the flesh is firm and they hold up well to the salad.

Meal Prep It!

This lentil salad tastes great right after mixing it all up, but it gets even better with time in the fridge (leftovers FTW!), which makes it perfect for meal prep! Just remember to give it a quick stir before eating to redistribute that wonderful dressing.

Marinated Lentil Salad

Ingredients

LEMON GARLIC DRESSING

1 lemon ($0.59)
1/4 cup olive oil ($0.44)
2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano ($0.15)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Freshly Cracked Pepper

SALAD

1 cup dry brown lentils ($0.40)
1/2 bunch parsley ($0.40)
1 pint grape tomatoes ($2.99)
1/4 small red onion ($0.24)
2 oz feta, crumbled ($1.12)

Instructions

Cook the lentils according to the package directions. For most brown lentils, bring 3 cups of water to boil in a pot, add the lentils, then continue to boil for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water until they are cooled.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the lemon garlic dressing. Use a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater to remove about 1 Tbsp of the lemon’s zest (the thin, yellow, outer layer of the peel). Set the zest aside. Juice the lemon and measure 1/4 cup of the juice to use for the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Set the dressing aside.
Rinse the parsley well, shake off as much water as possible, then pull the leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Cut the grape tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion.
When the lentils are cooked, cooled, and well drained, transfer them to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley, tomatoes, red onion, crumbled feta, lemon zest, and the prepared dressing. Stir to combine the ingredients and coat everything in dressing.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat. Always stir the salad just before serving to redistribute the dressing and flavors.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 238.67kcalCarbohydrates: 25.93gProtein: 10.03gFat: 11.78gSodium: 352.02mgFiber: 5.27g

Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.

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How to Make Lentil Salad – Step by Step Photos

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Begin by cooking one cup of dry lentils. Lentils are incredibly easy to cook. It’s just like pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil (for one cup lentils, make it at least 3 cups water), add the lentils, then cook until tender (20 minutes for brown lentils). Drain the lentils in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water to cool them off.

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While the lentils are cooking, prepare the Lemon Garlic Dressing. Remove about 1 Tbsp zest from the lemon using a microplane, zester, or small-holed cheese grater. Set the zest aside for later. Juice the lemon and use about 1/4 cup for the dressing.

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To the 1/4 cup lemon juice, add 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Whisk the ingredients together. Set the dressing aside so it has a few minutes to blend.

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Prepare the vegetables for the salad. Rinse 1/2 bunch of parsley and shake off as much water as possible. Pull the leaves from the stems, then give them a rough chop (about 1 cup once chopped). Slice the grape tomatoes in half. Finely dice the red onion. I really don’t like including small amounts like “1/4 red onion” in recipes, but red onion is one of those ingredients that is very potent and you really only need a small amount. To avoid wasting the rest of the onion, consider adding it to salads, pizzas, frittatas, or pickling the onions for longer storage.

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Once the lentils are cooked, cooled, and drained, add them to a large bowl along with the lemon zest, chopped parsley, tomatoes, diced onion, and 2oz. crumbled feta.

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Pour on the prepared Lemon Garlic Dressing…

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Then just stir everything up until evenly combined and coated in dressing. The salad is pretty irresistible as is, but it gets even better as it sits in the fridge and those lentils absorb all that awesome flavor!

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This is not going to last me long… I can’t stop scooping forkfuls into my mouth! In reality, though, this Marinated Lentil Saladmakes about 6 cups, so depending on how you serve it, it’s about six servings. Ideas for bulking it out further can be found in the intro! Enjoy!