THE easiest way to prep lentils ahead of time. This recipe will give you a little over 2 cups of cooked lentils, perfect for adding into soups, salads, and casseroles.
Sort through the dried lentils and pick out any stones or twigs, there is no need to rinse them. In the bowl of your pressure cooker add the water and lentils, give it a quick stir so that all the lentils are covered in water. Add the lid and twist it to the locked position, make sure the steam release is set to closed. The pressure cooker will take 7-8 minutes to come to pressure. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes under the manual setting (Note 1).
After it has cooked, wait an additional 5 minutes (the pressure cooker will switch to 'Keep Warm') and then manually release the pressure. This ensures your pressure cooker doesn't spew a bunch of lentil juice everywhere.
Lentils will have a bit of water around them (see photos) but I find that I don't have to rinse this off. Serve right away in any dish you'd like or keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze simply put them into a freezer safe bag or container, and push out as much air as possible. Lentils can be frozen safely for a few months. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
This recipe will make 2 and 1/4 cups of cooked lentils
Note 1: I own and use the Crock Pot Express Crock Multi Cooker. It does not have a labelled manual setting. Instead you can use either the Beans/Chili, Dessert, or Soup settings, which operate as manual. Make sure to adjust the pressure settings and times for your recipe! You can read more on their FAQ page here.