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Tried swapping rice for lentils in my meal prep last week | Frugal Foodies - nhfree.com

Tried swapping rice for lentils in my meal prep last week

I usually make a big batch of rice on Sundays to stretch meals through the week, but last week I swapped in dried green lentils from the bulk bin at Kroger. It cost me like $1.50 for a pound versus my usual $3 bag of rice, and they actually held up better in soups and burrito bowls. I just had to soak them overnight and cook them a bit longer, so the timing was a little different. Has anyone else found a good cheap swap that actually works for meal prep?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_foster682mo ago

You know, @andrew854, I think this whole thing ties into something bigger I've noticed over the years. A lot of us get stuck in food ruts because we're scared to mess with the timing or the texture, but once you try one swap, it opens the door to others. I started doing this with oats instead of breadcrumbs for meatloaf, and now I'm looking at dried beans and barley the same way. The real trick is just paying attention to how things cook and being willing to adjust, like you did with the soak time. It's funny how a little patience in the kitchen can save you a decent chunk of change over a month.

andrew8543mo ago

That $1.50 per pound is a steal, Kroger's bulk bins are underrated for meal prep stuff lol. So how much longer did you have to cook them compared to rice, like an extra 20 minutes or a full half hour? I always mess up lentils because I pull them off the stove too early and they're still crunchy in the middle of my bowl.

cameron4263mo ago

Nah, I gotta disagree a little. Lentils don't need much more time than rice if you do them right, maybe 10 minutes extra at most. The trick is to soak them for like 30 minutes before cooking so they soften evenly and don't stay crunchy in the middle.