This is one of my favorite ways to cook lentils, and I cook lentils a lot. If there are lentils in the fridge, I feel like we have something to eat. We typically enjoy these with some combination of chicken or chicken sausage, sweet potato oven fries, quinoa, salad and/or Spanish kale. I also sometimes eat these lentils in a cabbage leaf with some hot sauce, kind-of as an odd taco, but (at our house anyway) that’s just me…
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Melissa Clark’s Instant Pot Lentils
Adapted, only very slightly, from the Smoky Lentils + Sausage recipe in Dinner in an Instant by Melissa Clark
Notes: If I’m cooking mostly for myself and/or for incidental meals as needed, I’ll make the 1 1/2 cup version. But if I’m making these for our family dinner and would also like some leftovers for the next couple days, I’ll go for the 2 cup version. Iif you have celiac disease or are otherwise very sensitive to gluten, be sure to pick over your lentils to check for any gluten grains. Some batches will have quite a few hiding out in there. Rinse in a strainer when finished.
Special equipment:
Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
1 1/2 cups of dry lentils version:
Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed
Generous 2 3/4 cups filtered water
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
2-3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, or to taste
2 cups of dry lentils version:
Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/3 cup dry red wine
2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed
3 3/4 cups filtered water
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or to taste
Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté function, pour in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, add the onion and sauté for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently. I like for the onions to soften quite a bit in this step. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, stirring frequently. Grind in some black pepper, add the smoked paprika, quickly stir, then pour in the wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the lentils, water and thyme sprigs and cook on high pressure for 11 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure is completely released, open the lid and discard the thyme sprigs. Add sea salt and apple cider vinegar to taste and serve.
1 1/2 cup version serves 6-8.
2 cup version serves 8-10.
