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Lentils and Rice

Every fall, there is one food that sneaks into my diet like a time telling seasonal watch. It is meaty without being meat, and beany, without bean a bean related dish. If you read the title (which I’m sure you did, or else you wouldn’t be here!) you might have seen that this dish is lentils and rice.

Now, I like mine a bit plain, that way I can dress up the dish with other foods I have on hand. Something like hot water cornbread, or smoked sausage can find its place beside this dish in the fall. Adding those in always end up making a hearty evening in, and my home smell like heaven!

Some of you might be thinking, ‘hey this dish looks familiar!’ and you would be exactly right, lol. Cooking this dish can come in a different style, with the lentils and rice using the same pot. When it is prepared in this manner, it strongly resembles the Middle Eastern dish Mujadara.

I didn’t cook it like that, so this recipe breaks the dish into two distinct phases, for those of us who just can’t imagine a meal without white rice.

I believe the ingredients list speaks not only to the simplicity of the meal, but also to the amazing ability of lentils and rice to be a hearty meal.

I’m not always one to eat a ton of meat, so this recipe is a given for me. It takes the savory part of a meat centered meal and brings it together with one of the worlds staple foods, making it both a pleasure and a point of pride to be able to eat something that has been passed down through so many generations.