One of my best experiments this year was eating lentils while wearing my continuous blood glucose monitor. I found by keeping my portion modest, I didn’t get any blood sugar spikes.
So happy to be enjoying lentils again!
Lentils and spice are a match made in heaven.
Especially this version with the exotic Ethopian Berbere spice blend.
But don’t feel like you need to buy some Berbere spice to make this. A good curry powder or my go-to mix of cumin, smoked paprika and coriander will be just as delicious.
Berbere Spiced Lentils
Ingredients
- 450 g ground (minced) beef
- 200 g red lentils (1 generous cup)
- 1/2 cup tomato passata / puree
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Berbere spice OR mild curry powder
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 100 g feta
Instructions
- Heat a little oil in a medium saucepan on a medium high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring for a few minutes - until the beef is no longer pink and starting to brown.
- Add lentils, tomato passata / puree, spice / curry powder, a big pinch salt and 1.5 cups water. Cover and bring to a rapid simmer.
- Simmer, covered, on a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Stirring once or twice. If the pot is drying out add an extra 1/2 cup water. While the lentils are cooking dice or crumble the feta.
- Continue to simmer and stir until the lentils are cooked to your liking. I like them soft but not falling apart and still with some bite like al dente pasta.
- When the lentils are cooked, taste and season with more salt and more spice if needed.
- Divide baby spinach between two bowls. Top with lentils and finish with feta.
Nutrition
Variations & Substitutions
different spice / family friendly – garam masala or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. Or try 1 teaspoon all spice and some dried chilli powder.
pantry-friendly – use frozen spinach.
short on time – brown beef in a separate pan at the same time as simmering the lentils.
Keto / ultra low carb – skip the lentils (and water) and serve spiced tomatoey beef on a bed of baby spinach with extra feta and some avocado or roast nuts.
vegetarian – replace beef with the same quantity of sliced mushrooms. I also like to soften an onion or two before cooking the lentils to add extra depth of flavour.
dairy-free – replace feta with avocado, olives or roast walnuts.
nightshade-free – replace tomato and water with chicken or veg stock.
more substantial (carb lovers) – serve with warm flat bread.
more substantial (low carb) – extra feta, avocado or some roast nuts.
Low FODMAP – halve the lentils (and water) and serve with double the feta.
different vegetables – soften an onion (and carrot and celery if you like) before adding the beef. And feel free to add more robust greens like chard, silverbeet, kale, spinach or collard greens to wilt in at the end. Or throw in any cooked veg that happen to need using up.
different protein – any ground or diced meat will work. For leaner cuts like chicken breast fillets or steak slice and brown them in the pan then keep warm while you cook the lentils. Then return the cooked meat to the pot at the end.
more fancy / for entertaining – skip the ground (minced) meat and serve lentils as a side to succulent slow roast lamb or brisket.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
ground (minced) beef – freeze it.
red lentils / tomato passata / puree / Berbere spice / mild curry powder – keep them in the pantry.
baby spinach – either freeze or wilt down in a pan with a little oil and then keep in the fridge for weeks.
feta – keeps for months unopened in its packet. Or can be frozen.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt, more spice or a squeeze of lemon or lime. Or a splash of hot sauce.
too dry – different sized pots will have different evaporation rates. Just keep the lid on and keep an eye on your pot. Add more water if it starts to dry out.
crunchy lentils – they just need cooking for longer. Add a little more water and return to the pan and simmer until you’re happy.
burning on the bottom – next time stir more frequently! For now just transfer the unburned top layers to a clean pot and discard the burnt bits.
sticking to the pan – next time oil the dish more generously. A non stick pan or well seasoned pan will help. For now allow the pan to cool so the eggs release.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the baby spinach and feta separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, bring back to a simmer with a little extra water. Top with feta and baby spinach.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
I used paprika for spice because I don’t have any Berbere and had used my current curry powder in another dish recently. The combination of this with mushrooms was fine, but did require the addition of a lot of oil (replacing the fat from the beef) to overcome the astringency of the paprika and lentils.
I followed the recipe except I made my batch with all hamburger, no lentils, and for the spices I used a mix of 1 tbsp of garam masala topped up 1/2 tbsp coriander and 1/2 tbsp of smoked paprika. Both my toddler and I found that the spiciness was too robust at that point but we both enjoyed much more after I added some 18% cream to make it more mellow. I suspect if I had added the lentils, the spiciness would have been milder. I also skipped the added feta and baby spinach, because my toddler is not yet a fan of greens and feta.
Next time I will aim to take the extra time to add in some veggies (as others did) with the meat.
I also don’t have any Berbere spice in my local stores, is it worth it to special order it for one dish?
Thanks for the recipe, will try it again 🙂
Glad you’re willing to try again Leanne!
If you’re feeding a toddler – don’t get the Berbere spice because it has chilli and is too hot for my boys. Next time you could always serve out some for your toddler and then serve yours with the greens and feta 🙂
I started off with chopped onion and carrot, then added 250g of beef mince. Once that was done I put it in a bowl in the oven to keep warm rather than boiling it. I then put on 300g of lentils with a tin of tomatoes, 1 Tbsp of curry powder and 1 Tbsp of cumin. I simmered that for at least 25 minutes (and the lentils were still a little underdone) then added the beef mix. Good.
Excellent!
meal #3 for the challenge. This makes so much that it is two meals for us. Tonight I served it over steamed Swiss chard. Yum!
oh yum Susan! You’re reminding me I need to order some spices asap!
Have made this several times and like the other reviewers, love how aromatic it is. The onion and carrot are great additions. Using them didn’t require any extra time because I subbed some drained, canned lentils (and reduced the water accordingly) that had been in the pantry for longer than I can remember and were begging to be used.
Fantastic work on the substitutions Melanie – doesn’t it feel good using up things like that 🙂
Experimenting has been fun, too, Jules. I was making this with your ground cumin & coriander recommendation with a tad bit of allspice. When I ordered the za’atar spice, I also ordered bebere and baharat, which are both great with this.
I need to order some Berbere spice too Melanie – thanks for the reminder 🙂
And good to know it works well with baharat
Glad I finally tried this recipe. The spices really make it aromatic and enticing as it cooks. My pickiest fellows loved it!
Brilliant Cynthia! So glad they all enjoyed 🙂
This sounds great. For us, though, I think it would be enough for 2 meals. I made the oozy red lentil risotto again for dinner last night, and while it wasn’t enough for 2 meals, it was still more than I could eat. I’m glad to have another red lentil recipe.
Yes they’re pretty generous serves with the meat in there Susan – the ground beef gives a different texture to the lentil risotto. And while you don’ thave to get the berbere spice – it’s really delicious so worth ordering a packet online if you want some new flavours 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight and for us it is definitely 4 servings. I used your substitute spice mix, but would change it up next time because the flavor of the cumin was too strong for me (I am unfortunately not a big fan of cumin). The idea I’ve had is to use the coriander and smoked paprika and make the 3rd teaspoon garam masala. At least in my mind that sounds like a flavor I could easily live with.
YES Susan – coriander, paprika and garam masala would be brilliant. The other option to replace the cumin would be curry powder or all spice (but only 1/2 teaspoon all spice as it’s pretty strong)