Canning lentils 4 ways: Spanish-style lentils (part 1)
Updated: Oct 8
Note: This is my own recipe, not a lab-tested one. There's no tested recipe for canning lentils, so I follow the USDA method for dried beans and peas, the same one I use for my navy beans: soaked, boiled for 30 minutes, jars only half full of solids with plenty of liquid, and 75 minutes for pints in a pressure canner. The vegetables, Spanish paprika and cumin are my own additions.
This post got way too long when I tried to cram all four recipes into it, so I'm splitting it into 4 posts over the coming weeks ;)
I love canning lentils.
They're cheap, nutritious, filling and one of those pantry staples that can turn into dinner remarkably quickly.
But here's the problem.
Once you've canned a shelf full of plain lentils, you eventually find yourself staring at twenty nearly identical jars thinking:
Okay... what am I actually going to do with all these lentils?
Want to can plain lentils? Here's my basic recipe for canning lentils ;)
So this year I'm doing things differently.
I'm canning lentils four ways, creating four completely different flavor profiles that can become quick lunches and dinners straight from the pantry.
I'm making:
Spanish-style lentils (Part 1, this post)
Indian-inspired lentils (Part 2)
East Asian-inspired lentils (Part 3)
Mediterranean lentils (Part 4)
And rather than putting four enormous recipes into one enormous blog post, I'm dividing them into four posts.
In Part 1, we're making Spanish-style lentils, and over the coming weeks, Indian-inspired lentils, an East Asian-inspired version and finally a Mediterranean version.
Same humble lentil. Four very different jars.
A quick word on safety
Before we start chopping onions, let's talk safety for a minute. Lentils and vegetables are low-acid, so these jars must be pressure canned, never in a water bath. I follow the USDA's way of canning soups with dried beans: everything is cooked first, and the jars are only half full of solids, with the rest liquid. These exact flavor combinations haven't been lab-tested, though, so if you'd rather stick to lab-tested recipes, the National Center for Home Food Preservation has lots of them.
Here's why that matters: botulism and home canning.
Now let's make some lentils!
Recipe 1: Spanish-style lentils
Living in Spain for years has completely changed how I think about lentils.
Growing up in Sweden, lentils weren't exactly something I associated with comfort food.
Here?
Absolutely.
A bowl of lentejas on a cold winter day is proper comfort food.
Spanish lentil stews can contain everything from potatoes and carrots to chorizo, pork and other meats depending on who is making them.
For my canned version, I'm keeping things simpler.
The flavor I'm after comes primarily from tomato, garlic, onion and smoked paprika.
Then when I open the jar, I can decide whether I want to eat it as it is or turn it into something more substantial.
Ingredients
Makes about 4 pint jars.
250 g (about 1¼ cups) dried brown or green lentils (they hold their shape; red and split lentils turn to mush)
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 bell pepper from the garden, diced (mine weren't all fully red yet ;)
250 g (about 1½ cups) chopped fresh tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika (pimentón dulce)
½ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón de la Vera)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 small bay leaf
Water for soaking, cooking and filling the jars
1 tablespoon salt for the whole batch (optional)
If you like a little heat, you could swap some of the sweet paprika for pimentón picante.
Personally, I'd rather keep the jars relatively mild and add heat when serving.
Equipment
Pint mason jars with new two-piece lids
Jar lifter and canning funnel
Slotted spoon and ladle
Bubble remover
Step 1: Quick-soak the lentils
Sort through the dried lentils, pick out any little stones or damaged ones and rinse them well. Put them in a large pot, cover them with plenty of water, bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them soak in the hot water for 1 hour.
Prefer to soak them overnight instead (12–18 hours in cold water in a cool place)? I compare both in my overnight soak vs quick soak post ;)
Step 2: Precook the lentils
Drain off the soaking water and cover the lentils with fresh water.
Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes.
Remember, we're not trying to cook them until completely soft.
They still have plenty of cooking ahead of them in the pressure canner.
Step 3: Make the Spanish vegetable base
While the lentils are cooking, dice your onion, carrots and bell pepper.
Add them to a large saucepan with the chopped tomatoes, garlic and the bay leaf.
Add enough water to keep everything loose and soupy.
Bring to a boil and simmer for around 5 minutes.
Now add the sweet and smoked paprika, the cumin and the salt.
The smell at this point is already VERY Spanish.
Add the precooked, drained lentils, stir everything together and bring it back to a boil for 5 minutes, adding more hot water if needed.
Remember, we want soupy, not a thick lentil stew.
Remove the bay leaf before filling your jars.
Step 4: Fill the jars
Wash your jars and keep them warm, and get your new lids and bands ready. Put the rack and the amount of water your manufacturer recommends in your pressure canner and start warming it up.
Using a slotted spoon, add the lentils and vegetables, filling each jar about halfway with solids.
Then ladle the hot liquid over them.
Leave 1 inch / 2.5 cm headspace.
Run a bubble remover or non-metallic utensil around the inside of each jar.
Check your headspace again and add more hot liquid if necessary.
Wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth.
Step 5: Process in a pressure canner
Place the lids on the jars and screw the bands on fingertip-tight. Put the jars in the canner, lock the lid and let the canner vent a steady stream of steam for 10 minutes before you put the weight on. Process pint jars for 75 minutes at the right pressure for your altitude and canner type (see my altitude chart). I'm at 2,273 feet, so I use 15 lb on my weighted gauge (12 lb on a dial gauge).
Step 6: Cool and store
Turn off the heat and let the canner cool down naturally until the pressure reads zero. Then remove the weight, wait 10 minutes, and open the lid away from your face (that steam is no joke!). Lift the jars out with a jar lifter onto a towel on the counter and let them cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours, then check the seals (the lids shouldn't flex up and down when you press the center). Take the bands off, then store them in a cool, dark place. For the best flavor, I use my jars within a year.
And that's batch number 1 done!
Turning the Spanish jar into dinner
This is where things get interesting.
You could simply heat the jar and eat it with crusty bread.
Honestly, I'd be perfectly happy with that.
But you can also use it as the base for something much more substantial.
Heat the contents gently in a saucepan and adjust the seasoning.
You could add a little more smoked paprika, some freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil.
And if you want something closer to a traditional hearty Spanish lentejas, you can add cooked potato and sliced chorizo while reheating.
Let everything simmer together for a few minutes.
Suddenly your humble jar of lentils has become a proper winter dinner.
That is precisely why I'm making these.
Why not just can plain lentils?
You absolutely can.
And plain lentils are incredibly useful.
But I've realized that there are two different things I want from my pantry.
Sometimes I want ingredients. Other times I want meals.
When I get home late, I'm much more likely to reach for a jar labeled Spanish lentils than to stare at a jar labeled Lentils and wonder what to make for dinner.
It's the same reason I love having canned soups and sauces on the shelf.
I'm not only preserving food. I'm preserving time.
I hope you enjoy this one! Indian-inspired lentils are up next in Part 2. Happy canning ;)
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