Drunk Lentils with Crème Fraiche & Arugula

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Drunk Lentils from What's Gaby Cooking

What are drunk lentils you ask? They are basically the best lentils out there. Tipsy Lentils with Crème Fraiche and Arugula are the perfect light vegetarian meal.

It all starts with onions and garlic, like most great things, those are key to making a dish with lots of depth and flavor. After you’ve sautéed those, you’re going to add in some fresh thyme and then some cooked lentils. Lentils really don’t have a strong flavor profile, so it’s fun to jazz them up a bit with this recipe.

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I like to let the lentils, thyme and aromatics hang out for a bit before adding a glug or two of The Naked Grape’s Harvest Red Blend. Once that is added, I let it absorb into the lentils and really give them some amazing flavor.

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Once the wine has been absorbed and distributed it’s fantastic flavor to the lentils, I stir in a few tablespoons of crème Fraiche which is basically just a little bit of fancy soured cream that won’t curdle against the heat. It has an amazing way of bringing the right amount of creaminess to any dish and it works perfectly on the tipsy lentils. Once that’s been incorporated, I add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten things up and then serve it over a bed of fresh arugula. It’s bright, cheerful and tipsy! What’s not to love about this!

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Drunk Lentils with Crème Fraiche and Arugula

Course Dinner
Cuisine Mediterranean

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme small leaves removed and the stem discarded
  • 1/2 cup The Naked Grape Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 3 tablespoons crème Fraiche or goat cheese if you prefer a tangier finish
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 2 cups packed greens of your choice such as arugula
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a medium pot, cook the lentils according to the package directions. Once cooked, drain off any excess water and set the lentils aside.
  • In a large heavy bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for 1 minute more until just fragrant.
  • Add the thyme leaves and the cooked lentils to the skillet and stir to combine.
  • Pour in The Naked Grape Cabernet Sauvignon and let the wine cook for about 5 minutes until almost all of the wine is absorbed into the lentils. Turn the heat off, and stir in the crème Fraiche or goat cheese and fresh lemon juice. Season the dish with salt and pepper as needed. Let the lentils cool for about 15 minutes.
  • Arrange the arugula on a large serving platter. Transfer the lentils on top of the arugula and gently toss to combine. Serve as needed.

22 Comments

  1. I am a lentil lover and am always looking for new interesting tasty recipes that use them. This sounds really flavorful and I can’t wait to try it. Why didn’t I ever think of simmering them in wine before??

  2. It just doesn’t have much eye-appeal. Something is missing… I think the trouble is with that washed-out pinkish color. Let’s add a few black beans, a few bits of red and orange peppers (barely cooked), maybe a couple of green peppercorns or something like that.

  3. Made this the other night and it was delicious. I didn’t have creme fraiche on hand, so I used sour cream instead. Delicious! The flavor was almost better the next day. Thanks for the recipe.

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