If you are looking to stretch your grocery budget, consider adding lentils to your diet. This little legume comes in many colorful varieties and is very economical, especially in the bulk bins at Whole Foods. And since the lentils themselves have very little taste, they are great for incorporating into a number of dishes because they take on the flavor of whatever is cooked with them.

So far we’ve enjoyed Lentil & Rice Casserole and the recipe I am sharing today: Easy Masoor Daal. I also want to try Sloppy Lentils as a frugal alternative to Sloppy Joes.

This daal recipe cooks up quickly and is very simple; serve with either naan or brown rice and a veggie, and you have an inexpensive, ethnic and yummy meal! Truthfully, this is one of the tastiest meals I’ve made in quite some time; we absolutely loved it! It does have a pretty good kick to it because of the cayenne so if you’ll be serving this to little ones, you may want to cut back on the spice.

Masoor Daal

Adapted from this recipe.

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp butter or coconut oil

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder, or 1 tsp minced garlic

To receive optimal nutrition, combine the lentils with 2 Tbsp of acid medium (apple cider vinegar, whey, lemon juice, kefir, yogurt) and enough water to cover. Let lentils soak for about 12 hours, or overnight. Drain and proceed with recipe. Soaking the lentils also helps them to cook faster, which is always a plus!

Combine lentils,  ginger, tumeric, salt and cayenne in a small saucepan. Cover with an inch or so of water. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that may appear (I didn’t skim off the foam and it turned out just fine, fyi). Cook until lentils are soft, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a skillet and saute onions until they are a light golden brown. Add cumin & garlic and saute for another minute. When the lentils are finished, add the onion mixture and cook on low for 2 minutes, or just pour the lentils in a bowl and top with the onion mixture to serve, as I did. Top with plain yogurt, if desired, and serve with rice or naan (recipe link below).

Homemade Whole Wheat Naan

If you want to serve your daal with naan, I’d suggest trying to make your own. It is very easy and this recipe is even bread-machine compatible, which makes it a cinch! Homemade naan is much less expensive than purchasing it at the store and this version is half whole-wheat to increase the nutritional value. I substituted the wheat germ with coarsely ground flax seeds, and it worked perfectly! This would also be delicious served with hummus or saag (my husband’s favorite!).

This post is linked to Pennywise Platter Thursday.