Spicy Mexican Lentils

Cinco de Mayo is coming soon - and if you'd rather celebrate at home by making your own Mexican food, this is a great recipe to try.

You can use these spicy Mexican lentils to make a vegetarian burrito bowl or as taco filling. OR you can just eat them all by themselves. This quick and easy recipe is so yummy!

Spicy Mexican Lentils

2 cups lentils, cooked according to package instructions and drained

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes, not drained

1 10 oz. can Ro-Tel, not drained

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Optional for serving:

Sour cream

Shredded cheese

Rice

Taco shells

Lettuce

Salsa

1. Prepare lentils as instructed on package. Measure out two cups and set aside.
2. In a large pan, add chopped onions and olive oil and saute over medium heat until slightly browned, about 7-9 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes.
4. Add all of the spices and stir into the onion and garlic mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add the diced tomatoes, Ro-Tel, and lentils. Stir to incorporate.
6. Place a lid on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Serve hot and garnish as desired.

Notes:

You can increase the spicy factor in these lentils by:

• adding more red pepper flakes to the recipe 
• using the Hot variety of Ro-Tel

If you cook an entire bag of lentils, you will have more than the 2 cups needed for this recipe. You can either:

• increase the recipe (which is great for a large group)
• freeze the cooked lentils in a Ziploc bag to use the next time you make this recipe
• use canned lentils instead of fresh