Any recipes for using dried beans and lentils?

I do endless variations of dal by chucking in all sorts of veg leftovers from the freezer, and including meat gravy if there is any and small amounts of mince, etc.

I find Pinterest quite good for new recipes of all sorts. BBC GoodFood is a goud source too.

PS We quite often have dal in place of potato.

Look up pasta recipes with chick peas,(Cici &pasta) I know it used to be popular in southern Italy , they also do one with green lentils with rice, ( like a soupy risotto) Both have a little bit of tomato , celery and some chilli to give it a bit of a kick. It is called Cucina Povera in Italian it means poor kitchen.

Some of my family are Vegan & they use black beans a lot. Black eye beans are very good too. There are lots of recipes on the internet for you to use.
I make a stew with onions, peppers(I vary the colour), a tin of tomatoes, spices or herbs, then add cooked black eye beans.
I think with any recipe you can just use lentils etc instead of meat.
Don’t forget nut roast.x

Reduce the minced meat by adding a good handful of red lentils to Bolognaise sauce (no one notices).

Lentil and Mango Salad is tasty - Google finds the recipe.

Chickpeas are lovely in a vegetable stew or fried up with onions, peppers and garlic and used in a wrap.

Do you eat paneer? My daughters makes a lovely green thai curry with paneer, baby sweetcorn, mangetout and peppers. Occasionally adds sweet potatoes.

Can also do a chick pea curry with peanut sauce, delicious.

Cannelini beans are good in stuffed aubergines.

I cook big white limas in broth, with chopped onion, grated garlic, and harissa. Simmer. When soft add broccoli broken into small finger size pieces. Cook until just done. Serve hot with harissa sprinkled on, parmesan, and squeeze of lemon to taste.

200g dried lentils (Puy are suggested)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, cut into rounds (Add a parsnip or stalk of celery if you like.)
4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (or more if you like)
1 fresh bay leaf, if you've got it
2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth (or use water — it's fine!)
A generous glug of olive oil
Cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste
Instructions:
Add first six ingredients to a large saucepan or pot with a heavy bottom.
Simmer over medium high heat for roughly 30 minutes. Brown, red or yellow lentils will cook faster. Check now and then to make sure the pan isn't getting dry. If it is, add more broth or water, a half cup at a time.
Check for done-ness by tasting a few lentils. They should be tender — not too firm.
Dish out to a big serving plate. Season with salt, pepper and a nice pour of olive oil.

Vegetable chilli is lovely with chickpeas

Try googling Ottolenghi recipes.
I've yet to try one I didn't like.
Terrific!

Moroccan-spiced lentil and carrot soup with crispy kale

Serves 4

3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
150g brown lentils, rinsed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1½ litres vegetable stock

To serve

200g kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 big bunch coriander, chopped
Thick yoghurt (optional)
Lemon wedges, to finish (optional)

Heat a casserole pan, add two tablespoons of the oil and fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes, until soft, seasoning generously with salt and pepper at the beginning. Add the spices and stir energetically into the onions for a few minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up through your hands or with a wooden spoon as you do so. Cook for five minutes, then add the lentils, carrots and stock. Bring to a simmering point, taste and adjust the seasoning, then cook for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

Meanwhile, turn on the grill and massage the kale in the remaining tablespoon of oil. Spread out the kale on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and grill for five or six minutes, stirring a few times, until crisp and dark around the edges – be warned, it catches easily.

Stir the coriander into the soup, ladle into warm bowls, top with kale and yoghurt, if using. A squeeze of lemon would add a joyous sparkle to the whole affair. Serve with crusty bread

I've been vegetarian for over 30 years and find legumes indigestible. Just saying in
case you think it necessary for the protein.

I love chickpea and spinach curry. We have cottage-type pies, with lentils instead of meat, quite often - and roasted chickpea snacks/sides are good too. There's loads of recipes online.

Today it's rather warm and muggy, so I'm eating chilled roasted vegetables with added beans - very nice!

Hetty58
Please post your recipe for chickpea and spinach curry. Thank you.

I make a Puy lentil salad which we have warm with fish or cold with other salady things.
Cook your lentils. In a bowl, mix (quite a lot of) salt, vinegar (I use balsamic) oil and shredded red onion. Put the hot lentils in this vinaigrette, add chopped herbs, parsley is nice. Adjust seasoning. Serve.

Chick pea, cauliflower and potato curry made the Sri Lankan way with coconut milk and cashew nuts
Tagine made with chick peas and butternut squash with couscous
Black bean chilli with rice
The Bosh vegan recipes are good and they have a website and You tube channel.

I add them to meat dishes. Ilb beef for bolgnaise sauce. Add a large tin of lentils and enough sauce to feed 8, ( feed less and freeze the rest in portions).

I toss tins of beans into almost all my casseroles and stews more portions, less meat in each portion.

Wow! Thanks everyone. What a pool of knowledge! I'm feeling really inspired now. So many things to explore. When I lived in India I never ate meat at all as it was just too hot and they make delicious vegetarian food. I'm not that skilful as you need to know a lot about all of the spices to make it taste authentic... these recipes here sound a lot less challenging..

Norah, I don't have a 'recipe' as such - but here goes (from dodgy memory) a quick/easy cheat's version:

Slow fry some spices and /or curry powder and a chopped onion or 2 until soft, add 1 or 2 finely grated cloves garlic, cook another couple of minutes. Next, add a can of chopped tomatoes - and a drained can of chickpeas. Simmer for ten minutes or so.

Add coconut cream to taste (makes it milder and less tomato-based - so add more for kids). Add tobasco if it's too mild.

Just a couple of minutes before serving, add some baby spinach (or any vegetable, really). We love it with nan bread. (Handy for unexpected guests, as I can cook it, with some bannock, in 20 minutes.)

I cook onions grated carrots celery with a can of tomatoes and use it as a sauce with green lentils. Make lasagne with it or shepherds pie. Sometimes add a bit of minced meat to it. I soak the lentils for a while as it’s supposed to stop them being too gassy.

During the winter I make a beef and buttetrbean casserole in the slow cooker You don't need much meat a cheap cut.
Plus lots of onion tomato puree and a few other veg. Potatoes also.Spices - powdered corriander and cummin with the prefried onions.
You need to soak the beans overnight first - don't like them tinned. it lasts for a few meals.
I used to love dishes with lentils but later found they give me the Rumbleguts, and the runs.

I would recommend the meal I just made from them, but it tastes absolutely revolting.

For those who experience gas or bloating from legumes. In India they add a small amount of asafoetida , also called hing, which stops the gas. You can get little containers of it in Indian shops. About £1.50