Everyday Recipes with Lentils, Beans and Chickpeas

Guide

Pulse recipes for everyday life and pantry

Lentils, beans, chickpeas and peas are versatile bases for curries, soups, stews, salads, spreads and fryings. Dried, they keep long, pre-cooked from glass or can, they are quickly available and frozen peas or beans complement spontaneous dishes.

On this page you will find legume recipes for fast everyday cuisine and dishes with a little preliminary. Combine them with ideas from the categories Vegetables, Rice, Potatoes and Noodles.

Which pod fruit matches which dish?

The varieties differ in taste, consistency and cooking behavior. Peeled red and yellow lentils disintegrate quickly and bind soups, Dal and sauces. Mountain, Beluga and Puy lentils stay more in shape and fit with salad or side dish. Beans and chickpeas are firmer and give stew, chilli, curry and bowl more bite.

• Red and yellow lenses: for Dal, creamy soup, puree, sauce and fryings.
• Mountain, Beluga and Teller lenses: for stew, salad, bowl and hearty side dishes.
• Kidney beans and black beans: for chilli, burrito, bowl, salad and burgers.
• White beans: for stew, minestrone, tomato dishes, salad and creamy spreads.
• chickpeas: for hummus, falafel, curry, salad and roasted snacks.
• Peas and peas: for soup, puree, risotto, pasta and fast vegetable dishes.

Dried, frozen or pre-cooked?

Dried legumes are inexpensive, well stockable and can be seasoned flexibly after cooking. However, beans and chickpeas need soaking and cooking time. Pre-cooked products made of glass, can or bag save these steps and can be used directly depending on the recipe. Draining is usually useful; Rinse is optional and depends on brine, salt content and desired sauce.

Deep-frozen peas, edamame and green beans can be extracted in portions. They are usually cooked without defrosting according to the package. Fresh garden beans and peas are seasonal vegetables and differ in the preparation of ripe, dried legumes.

Which legumes must be soaked?

Dried beans, chickpeas and unpeeled peas are usually soaked in plenty of water for several hours or overnight. This shortens the subsequent cooking time and can improve tolerability. Use a sufficiently large vessel, as the legumes gain significantly in volume.

Peeled red and yellow lenses as well as most small lens types do not normally have to be soaked. Plate lenses can be soaked depending on the product and the planned cooking time. The decisive factor is always the indication on the packaging, because variety, size, age and processing influence the required time.

Cook legumes safely and completely

Raw fresh and dried legumes must not be eaten half-cooked. Naturally contained lectins can cause discomfort and are inactivated only by sufficient heating. Gentle steaming at low temperature is therefore not the right method for beans and many other legumes.

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment As a rule of thumb, it is recommended to soak dried legumes for at least five hours, to pour away the soaking water and then cook them sufficiently in fresh water. Package details and tried and tested recipes must be taken into account. Pre-cooked canned cans are already heated and can be processed directly.

Cook lentils properly

Rinse lentils briefly and sort out possible foreign bodies. Red and yellow lentils cook quickly and disintegrate with increasing time. They are suitable if a creamy bond is desired. Beluga, mountain and Puy lentils are only gently cooked and tested early so that they remain tender but firm for salad or bowl.

The required amount of water and cooking time differ significantly. As a result of the package specification and pour out excess liquid in salad lenses. For soup or Dal, the cooking fluid can remain part of the dish. Acidic ingredients such as vinegar, lemon and larger amounts of tomato are better added towards the end, as acid can delay softening.

Beans soft and aromatic cooking

After soaking, dried beans are poured off, put on in fresh water and cooked completely. Sturdy stirring can damage the shells; even cooking and occasional control are more helpful. Older beans often take longer than freshly bought products.

Onions, garlic, bay leaf, cumin or herbs can flavour the cooking water. Tomatoes, vinegar and other sour ingredients only complement when the beans are soft. For salad they can retain their shape, for stew and spread they can become softer. Beans made of glass or can are only added to the dish late because they are already cooked.

Chickpeas for hummus, curry and salad

Dried chickpeas are soaked and then cooked completely softly in fresh water. For hummus they can be very soft so that the spread becomes smooth and creamy. For salad, curry or oven dishes they should be cooked, but keep their shape.

Pre-cooked chickpeas are ideal for fast cooking. For hummus, they are pureed with tahini, lemon, garlic and liquid. For crispy oven chickpeas, drain thoroughly and pat dry, then roast with little oil and spices. Moisture prevents a crispy surface.

Use peas, peas and edamame

Frozen green peas need only a short cooking time and therefore come to the end in risotto, pasta, soup or vegetable pan. split peas are dried and crumble when cooking. They are particularly suitable for classic pea soup and puree.

Edamame are unripe soybeans. They are cooked according to the package and then triggered or already peeled. The outer pod is usually not eaten. Edamame colour and bite are added in bowl, salad and rice dish.

Soups and stews with leguminous vegetables

Lentils, beans and peas give soups substance and binding. Onions, root vegetables and spices are first sweated, then followed by liquid and legumes according to their cooking time. Pre-cooked beans are added only in the last phase.

For a balanced stew, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes or leafy vegetables add taste and texture. Part of the legumes can be pureed so that the soup becomes creamy without needing much cream. Vinegar, lemon juice and fresh herbs round off the dish only at the end.

Curry, Dal and chilli

Red and yellow lentils are a quick basis for Dal. Ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, garam masala or chilli provide the direction. Coconut milk, tomatoes or broth form the sauce. Acid and fresh herbs are tasted after cooking.

chilli works with kidney beans, black beans or a mix. For a curry, chickpeas, lentils, peas and vegetables fit. Rice, flatbread or potatoes make it a full meal. More dishes with little washing can be found at One-pot dishes.

Salads and bowls with lentils, beans or chickpeas

For salads, form-stable varieties are selected and cooked only to the appropriate bite. Add slightly warm lentils or beans with a portion of the dressing to allow them to absorb taste. Sensitive leaf salads, herbs and crispy toppings are added just before serving.

Good combinations are lentils with apple and root vegetables, white beans with tomatoes and herbs, chickpeas with cucumber and feta or black beans with corn and lime. A bowl complements the legumes with rice, cereals, roasted vegetables, dip and fresh components.

spreads, fryings and fillings

Boiled legumes can be pureed, crushed or combined with vegetables and spices. Hummus is based on chickpeas, white beans give mild herbal spreads and red lentils a fast creamy base. Add liquid only gradually so that the consistency remains controllable.

For fryings, the mass needs sufficient binding and rest time. Oatmeal, breadcrumbs, egg or a vegetable alternative help depending on the recipe. If the mass is too moist, it decays; if it is too dry, the frying becomes compact. Pulses are also suitable as filling for paprika, wraps, dough bags and oven vegetables.

Combine legumes with vegetables, cereals and cheese

Vegetables bring freshness and different textures, while rice, pasta, bread, couscous or potatoes complement the dish. lentils match root vegetables and spinach, beans with tomatoes, peppers and cabbage, chickpeas with pumpkin, eggplant and leafy vegetables.

yoghurt, feta or other cheeses give a creamy or salty contrast. Vegan dishes benefit from nutmeg, tahini, herbs, roasted seeds and a acidic component. Vegetarian dinner Without legumes remaining just a small addition.

Legumes better tolerated

Those who rarely eat legumes can start with smaller portions and peeled varieties such as red lentils. Dried beans and chickpeas are sufficiently soaked, the soaking water is disposed of and the legumes are cooked completely softly. Thorough chewing and a slow increase in the amount can also be helpful.

Cumin, fennel, ginger or savoury fit taste, but are not a substitute for proper soaking and cooking. In case of persistent discomfort or special medical nutritional requirements, individual professional advice is useful.

Boil, store and freeze

If dried beans or chickpeas are soaked anyway, a larger amount is worth it. Cool off the boiled legumes quickly and keep them covered in the refrigerator. For longer pantry staples freeze in portion with little cooking fluid and label containers with variety and date.

Cooked lentils, beans and chickpeas can later be used directly for curry, soup, salad, spread or pan. Dry pantry staples store cool, dry and light-proof in well-closing containers. The older they are, the longer the cooking time can become.

Common errors in legume recipes

• Forget about soaking time: Beans and chickpeas then take much longer.
• Only gently subdued: Many raw legumes are not safely heated sufficiently.
• Acid added too early: Beans and chickpeas become softer slowly.
• All varieties treated the same way: Red lentils disintegrate quickly, solid beans take much longer.
• Precooked goods cooked for too long: Beans made of glass or can lose shape and texture.
• Too little spice: Acid, salt, herbs and roasted spices balance the dish.

With the right variety, correct preparation and a clear seasoning, legumes become a versatile basis for fast and slow cooked dishes.