Lentils Diavolo

They should really change the instruction relating to 1 1/2 inches of water. First, as evidenced in the comments, it's not clear whether that means 1 1/2 inches over the lentils or 1 1/2 inches from the bottom of the pot. Second, the volume of water included in the 1 1/2 inches is dependent on the diameter of the pot. 1 1/2 inches of water in a 9 inch diameter pot is much more water than 1 1/2 inches of water in a 7 inch diameter pot.

My experience with lentils shows that tomato paste should be added after the lentils have cooked. The acidity of the tomatoes toughens the skin of the lentils. Maybe why users had to cook lentils longer to achieve right mouth feel.

I have a pot of these cooling on my stove right now. Made recipe exactly as written. They have great promise as a staple in our house. I think the dish may be missing a deep flavor note and I next time I may add a spoonful of miso or soy sauce or even veg bouillon paste. Salt doesn’t do enough. I plan to serve this with lemon and chopped overpriced mint as a side for ras el hanut lamb chops, rice and maybe some plain yogurt.

Delicious. I recommend trying with Beluga lentils, which keep their shape—even better the next day with a fried egg on top.

Did not seed the jalapeño, and it was fine for a family of chiliheads. Others might find it too spicy. Pimentón (smoked paprika) plus fresh jalapeño pretty much tastes just like canned chipotles (smoked jalapeños) in adobo sauce. Use whichever you have on hand. We enjoyed this very much!

How about including a SPECIFIC amount of water measured in cups rather than nebulous inches? That would be helpful.

Loved the heat. Added about 1/4 c of balsamic vinegar to give it some pungency. Served with Sicilian Citrus Salad, which provided a perfect complement.

Super good! I messed up by adding too much water (later realized it was 1.5 in of water in total, not 1.5 in over the top of the lentils... rookie mistakes, I realize...) but it all cooked down into a really pleasant, spicy stew! Such a nice, warming dish for the cold months!

For those saying to add tomato paste at the end, that defeats the purpose of tomato paste. Sautéeing it in oil brings out the umami flavor. Just cook the lentils longer, if necessary, or precook your lentils and then add them to the sauté.

Yum! Yum! Yum! Served this a bit soupy on a bed of Israeli couscous with chopped spinach, kale and garlic olives. Absolutely delicious and leaves a bit of tingle on the tongue. Needs more salt than the recipe calls for at the end. Lovely with a glass of cabernet franc. Will definitely add this to the repertoire for a cold winter's night.

I doubled the chili flakes but wish I had used half sweet paprika and half smoked paprika because the smoky flavor overwhelms the dish. Needed to cook it longer than the recipe said to (at least 45 minutes) and add more water (I used small French lentils). I added a bit of apple cider vinegar and doused it with more olive oil at the end.

This was a good recipe to get me thinking of making lentils in a different way and cuisine. It does need a bit more spice and got dry, but I used it in place of taco meat and it tasted great. I like the suggestion of using chipotles in adobo and will try that when making it again.

made this with homemade chicken broth instead of the water, added a good amount of depth with no real additional work

I've made this several times now, and the water thing really is a non-issue. What it probably should say is "add enough water to cover and then add warm water during cooking as needed until lentils are tender and desired consistency is reached." I always double this recipe, as the leftovers are fantastic over baked potatoes, or even in a bowl as a type of chili. I also add a lot more smoked paprika because we all love the smoky taste.

I added a red bell pepper to the original oil--garlic-jalapeno spice mix. I used red lentils because that's all I had on hand and instead of 1/4 c of tomato paste, I added a 15 oz can of tomato sauce. Served over rice for my husband, I opted for crusty bread instead of rice and it was awesome!!