Lentil

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

FANESCA Maricel Presilla, chef-owner of the restaurant Zafra in Hoboken, New Jersey, first offered fanesca — a more elaborate rendition of the streamlined dish here — during Holy Week. Now it's one of the restaurant's most popular weekend specials year-round. Traditional accompaniments include bolitas de harina (flour fritters), fried plantains, and bottled hot sauce.

"For my son's birthday, I'd like to make a pasta, sausage, and lentil dish that we both ate during an Italian vacation," writes Miriam Scott of New York, New York. "We stayed at Locanda l'Elisa, located just south of Lucca in Tuscany. The hotel's greenhouse-like restaurant, the Gazebo, served the pasta dish that was so wonderful. Could you possibly track down the recipe? " Adding some of the pasta's cooking water to this dish gives it a creamy quality.

Serve with: Warmed flatbread. Dessert: Vanilla pudding with sliced mango.

Savory from chile, ginger, and cumin, these adai are a filling breakfast to power you through the day.

This rich lentil soup is loaded with flavor and texture: coconut milk for creaminess and curry paste for punch, plus tons of spinach and a bit of tiny pasta.

Inspired by the flavors of qorma-e-sabzi, an Afghan spinach stew, this simple soup relies on pantry staples and a box of frozen spinach.

Golden lentil dumplings dunked in creamy yogurt and topped with chaat masala.

This version of Egyptian musaqa’a from author Aisha Abdel Gawad is a vegetarian spin, featuring hearty lentils and smoky eggplant.

Inspired by Middle Eastern mujadara, this rice and lentil pilaf gets a seasonal spin thanks to a tumble of spring-y green vegetables and flavorful tadka.

These soy-garlic-braised black lentils are a sweet, salty delight and excellent served warm or cold along with rice.

This creamy, comforting khichdi is ready for any lentil in your pantry. Frozen spinach and fresh herbs keep it bright and perky.

The famous lentil and rice dish is versatile and takes well to a number of grain and bean substitutions. Don’t skimp on the sizzled spiced onions.

That bag of lentils in the back of your pantry is in for a major glow-up. 

This spinach-packed dal is the lifesaving dinner for nights when we’re strapped for time but still crave something deeply cozy.

Looking for something new to do with the lentils sitting in your pantry? Fry ’em until crisp, then pair with juicy sausages and a citrusy mojo sauce.