When I promised you easy to make, cheap recipes for Plant Sourced this month, I couldn’t have thought of a better recipe than this, these lentil flatbreads are literally made of lentils, water and spices so they’re extremely cheap and easy to make. And made from 100% pantry ingredients while still being healthy. I topped mine with black beans, salsa and whatever veg I had in the fridge that would work well with this kind of dish, which ended up being peppers, onions and mushrooms – topped with some salsa. It’s a great dish given the current food shortages, or an easy one to make at the end of the week when you’re running low on fresh ingredients.
Lentil Tortilla?
These flatbreads are flatbreads, as in the ones I made are a little bit thicker and couldn’t be rolled into a tortilla. However, there’s nothing stopping you making these as a tortilla. If you wanted to do that, I’d recommend blending the mix again after you’ve left the flour and water to sit to make it as smooth as possible. And spread the mix as thinly as you can in the pan too to make it thinner and easy to roll when cooked.
Iron Sources
Both the lentils and the black beans are a source of iron, so this recipe is naturally high in iron without trying to add any special ingredients to top it up. The aim for Plant Sourced recipes this month was to get 5mg of iron from each recipe, and this recipe comes in at 5.03mg per serving (a quarter of the recipe).
The lentils make up the largest part of that, providing 3.6mg per serving. Adding the black beans gives us another 0.7mg, and the rest comes from the smaller amounts in the vegetables.
Suggested Post: Plant Based Iron Sources
Nutritional Information
As well as being an iron source, this dish is relatively high in protein, coming in at just under 17g of protein per flatbread (with beans). It also contains just less than half of your daily fibre with 11.8g. And it contains over half of your daily vitamin C and over 40% of the RDA of folate and vitamin A.
Red Lentil Flatbreads Recipe
This lentil flatbreads recipe is a great cheap and easy dinner. They’re a great way to add some extra protein iron and vitamins in your diet using them in place of a wheat alternative, and they only take around 15 minutes to make!
Red Lentil Flatbreads Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup red lentils or lentil flour
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 red pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 2 heaped tbsp salsa plus extra to serve
Instructions
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If not using lentil flour, place the red lentils in a high-speed blender until the flour is fine and lump free.
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Transfer to a bowl, sift it in if you’re unsure if it’s smooth enough, add water and the spices with a pinch of salt and combine with a whisk. Let the batter sit for 2-3 minutes so the lentils absorb some of the water and it becomes thicker. If there are any lumps at all, blend the mix again.
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While the flatbreads are cooking, heat another non-stick frying pan and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the garlic. After a further 2 minutes, add the pepper, beans and 2-3tbsp of water. Cook on medium heat for a further 5-7 minutes until the beans are heated up and the water has evaporated. Once ready, stir the 2 heaped tbsp of salsa through the bean mix.
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Heat up a frying pan and grease it slightly if necessary for your pan. Pour about ¼ of the batter and spread it with the back of a spoon. Cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat, then flip over and cook 1-2 minutes on the other side.
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Once the flatbreads are ready, transfer them to a plate and pour the beans over the top. Drizzle with more salsa or hot sauce before serving.
Serve and enjoy!
Would you opt for a substitute like these lentil flatbreads if you were looking for an easier way to increase your mineral intake?
Until next time,
Sophie
A great recipe thank you! This will be a great way to sneak some extra veg into my fussy toddler he’s a bread fanatic!
Sarah
Oh this looks really tasy!
Soph –
I’m pretty sure I have some red lentils languishing in the back of my cupboard, so I’m going to dig them out and have a go at this!
I really do enjoy lentils but I’m always on the search for more to do with them. This looks delicious. I’m definitely going to give it a try!
I never thought about making my own flatbread recipe. I never would have thought to put red lentils in the recipe either. This sounds so new and different and I am putting it on my list of new recipes to make for my family.
Mmmmm this looks absolutely amazing! So yummy. I need to try and make it myself x
I love flatbreads! I love the ones that you can fill with loads of salad. Since being in lockdown I have got so bored with what I’ve been making and this is such a good idea for dinner! X
Yum this looks delicious. I love both lentils and flatbread so this is the perfect combination! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m subscribing! I totally need healthy gluten free recipes and legumes are my go to! Thank you for this recipe so much!
This looks really tasty! I love flatbread! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
This is a new idea, at least to me. What a great way to zest of a flatbread! Thanks for sharing!
Ooh, I am trying to increase my iron intake so I love this yummy way to make a filling meal packed with nutrients.
Oh wow! This looks so delicious! Will have to try this recipe soon – thanks for sharing x
It looks delicious, Sophie. I learned how to cook something similar, more like a lentils pancake during my trio in Nepal.
This looks incredible and I think I need to try it as my household is full of vegetarian or gluten-free diets.
Abigail | http://www.chatwithabigurumi.com
I think we definitely have some red lentils somewhere in the house – I love this and a great way to get more veg into my diet as since lock down I think I’ve been pigging out a bit too much and not being mindful of my diet. Will be trying these soon!
That looks fantastic
Another fab recipe! I’ve never thought of having flatbreads tbf but this looks so nice!
Thank you for sharing, this looks and sounds super tasty! I’m sending you so much love. Stay strong, stay home, stay safe.
With love, Alisha Valerie x | http://www.alishavalerie.com
I would never have thought about a lentil flatbread before. It sounds very interesting. I love reading your blog and learning about different recipes. Thank you for sharing Sophie. I hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy.
This looks good! I’ll have to pick up the stuff for this when I start going to the grocery store again.
Looks so tasty❤
These sound lovely! I’ve never made flatbread before but this sounds like a great recipe to start with 🙂 x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Ooo that looks so good, I’ll need to give it a try!
I’m totally new to lentils, I have heard they’re incredibly filling and can be rather tasty! Thank you for another wonderful recipe – great pantry recipes are really appreciated at the moment!!!xxx
Yum, this looks delicious! I’ve never made flatbread before but will give this a go!