Italian Lentils with Rice

My mother's Italian Lentils with Rice is a hearty, comforting dish and makes for an easy winter night's meal. This satisfying recipe can be endlessly varied with ingredients you have on hand.

An Italian New Year's tradition

Did you know that serving lentils just after midnight on New Year's Eve for good luck and prosperity in the following year is an Italian tradition? One that my family never followed mostly due to my allergy to lentils from birth, which thankfully is gone! So I decided what better year than this one to start this tradition? We can definitely all use lots of luck and good health in the coming year!  

This is the delicious, hearty lentil soup that my mother has always made. So simple yet this dish can be endlessly varied according to what you have in your refrigerator. Let me show you how!

But wait, do I see pasta in this dish?

Take a closer look at this photo and you'll notice a few pieces of pasta tossed in. There's a story behind this! I now make lentil soup on a regular basis but I was always greeted with complaints from my children telling me it just wasn't as good as nonna's. I simply could not understand why my mother's lentils with rice were so much tastier than mine. But it was really quite simple. In order to encourage them to eat their lentils, she tosses in a handful of pasta. nd that's all it took!

Of course when I was preparing this post my son suggested I add penne just as my mom once did. It seems to me that penne, rice and lentils are an odd combination (although I'm sure it was tasty) so I opted for this smaller shaped ditalini pasta instead. You definitely don't have to add pasta to your dish as I did but in case you have fussy eaters, this may be the trick to get them to eat their lentils!

What other vegetables can be added to this recipe?

You can make this recipe over and over again and practically never have the same dish twice. This dish is perfect for when you want to clear the fridge of vegetables you have on hand.

Some possible additions include zucchini; squash; leeks; a handful of spinach leaves; kale or other greens;  potatoes and even broccoli. Chop up your vegetables roughly the same size in order to ensure even cooking and sauté them along with your carrots, celery and onion. If adding fresh spinach leaves or other greens, toss them in the last few minutes of cooking. 

Can the water be replaced with stock?

My mom has always added water to her lentil soup but you can replace the water with chicken stock or vegetable stock . Although I add water, I also like to toss in a Parmigiano cheese rind for extra flavor. Toss it in when the water comes to a boil and be sure to remove it before serving. 

Can meat be added to Italian Lentils with Rice?

Although this dish is hearty and filling enough (in my opinion) you can most definitely round it out by adding some extra protein. Here are a couple of delicious suggestions. When sautéing your carrots, celery and onion (your soffrito) add some cubed pancetta and cook until crisp.

Another delicious alternative is crumbled Italian sausage without the casing added along with the soffrito. Sausage and lentils are without a doubt a perfect match! Do remember to adjust the amount of salt you add due to the saltiness of the pancetta or sausage. 

What variety of lentils can be added to Italian Lentils with Rice?

Honestly, just about any variety of lentils will do. I usually use brown lentils but I have made this dish with green or even red lentils. The cooking time may vary slightly from one type of lentils to the other. Simply cook until tender. Also, depending on the variety of lentils used your dish may require slightly less or more water. I like to keep a small pan of simmering water on hand to add as needed if the lentils have absorbed most of the water and are too dry.

How to make Italian Lentils with Rice

So now that I've shown you how you can personalize this dish to suit your taste,  let me show how to make this basic recipe. You'll find the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this post. 

  Chop up the vegetables for your soffrito (carrots, celery and onion) in even sized pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Add carrots, celery, onions and a pinch of salt and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes (1). Toss in a ripe tomato (seeded and cut into cubes) and cook for 3 minutes longer until the tomato starts to break down (3). Stir in rinsed and drained brown lentils and cook for 1 minute (3).

Pour in water (or stock if you prefer) and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover and let cook for 20 minutes.  At this point you may toss in a Parmigiano cheese rind. Uncover and stir in the rice. Cook covered for 20 more minutes or until the rice and lentils are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You may also decided how "soupy" you want your final dish to be. As you can see I like a thick, heartier dish so I tend to add less water. Adjust the amount of water you add according to the texture you prefer. 

If, as my mom does, you wish to add a handful of pasta, simply toss it in the final 10 minutes of cooking. Remove and discard the bay leaves and cheese rind. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve hot with Parmigiano cheese at the table, if desired.

Tips and suggestions: 

• Brown lentils can be replaced with any variety of lentils you have on hand.
• Add other vegetables you may have available such as zucchini; squash; leeks; greens; potatoes or broccoli.
• The water can be replaced with chicken or vegetable stock, if you prefer.
• Use canned diced tomatoes if you don't have a ripe tomato.
• Add cubed pancetta or sausage without the casing to your soffrito for a heartier, extra flavorful dish.
• Replace the long grain rice with arborio, basmati or other variety you have on hand.
• Keep a pot of simmering water on hand to add as needed if your lentils soak up all the liquid and become too dry. You can choose to add more water to make your dish more soup like or less for a stew-like consistency.
• Serve with Parmigiano cheese at the table, if desired. 
• If you're feeding a small crowd, this recipe may be halved.
• Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

If you try out this recipe, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Buon appetito e Buon Anno!

Here are more recipes with legumes for you to try!

• Pasta with Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce
• White Bean and Potato Soup
• Tagliarini with Beans
• Swiss Chard and White Bean Stew
• Italian Minestrone Soup

Tried this recipe?Mention @mangiabedda or tag #mangiabedda!

Italian Lentils with Rice

My mother's Italian Lentils with Rice is a hearty, comforting dish for an easy winter night's meal. This dish can be endlessly varied with whichever vegetables you have on hand.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: lentils with rice, Italian lentils with rice

Servings: 6 -8 servings

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Nadia Fazio

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 carrots diced
• ▢ 2 ribs celery diced
• ▢ 1 onion diced
• ▢ 3 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for drizzling before serving
• ▢ 1 medium ripe tomato seeded and cubed
• ▢ 2 cups brown lentils or other variety of your choice, rinced and drained
• ▢ 8 cups water (or more according to desired consistency)
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ Parmigiano cheese rind optional
• ▢ ½ cup long grain rice
• ▢ handful small pasta ditalini, tubettini, shells or other (optional)
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Chop up the vegetables for your soffrito (carrots, celery and onion) in even sized pieces.
• Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven. Add carrots, celery, onions and a pinch of salt and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes.
• Toss in a cubed, seeded tomato, a pinch of salt and cook for 3 minutes longer until the tomato starts to break down. Stir in rinsed and drained brown lentils and cook for 1 minute.
• Pour in water (or stock if you prefer) and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover and let cook for 20 minutes.  At this point you may toss in the Parmigiano rind, if using
• Uncover and stir in the rice. You may also decided how "soupy" you want your final dish to be. I like a thick, heartier dish so I tend to add less water. Adjust the amount of water you add according to the texture you prefer. Cook covered for 20 more minutes or until the rice and lentils are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• If, as my mom does, you wish to add a handful of pasta, simply toss it in the final 10 minutes of cooking.
• Remove and discard bay leaves and cheese rind. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve hot with Parmigiano cheese at the table, if desired.

Notes

• Brown lentils can be replaced with any variety of lentils.
• Add other vegetables you may have available such as zucchini; squash; leeks; greens; potatoes or broccoli.
• The water can be replaced with chicken or vegetable stock, if you prefer.
• Use canned diced tomatoes if you don't have a ripe tomato.
• Add cubed pancetta or sausage without the casing to your soffrito for a heartier, extra flavorful dish.
• Replace the long grain rice with arborio, basmati or other variety you have on hand.
• Keep a pot of simmering water on hand to add as needed if your lentils soak up all the liquid and become too dry. You can choose to add more water to make your dish more soup like or less for a stew-like consistency.
• Serve with Parmigiano cheese at the table, if desired. 
• This recipe may be halved.
• Leftovers keep well refrigerated up to 5 days or frozen up to 3 months.
• Please note that the nutritional information is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 814mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3652IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 5mg