This recipe makes approximately 30 carrot and lentil hearts. They can be frozen so are perfect for making in big batches to have as a handy snack!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 200g dried red lentils
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 100g cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 slice of bread made into breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp coriander
- Black pepper to taste
Method
- Soak the lentils in cold water for 3 hours prior to cooking.
- Gently fry the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.
- Rinse the soaked lentils well and put them in a food processor. Add the carrot, cheese, egg, onion and garlic then blitz.
- Once well mixed stir through the coriander, pepper and breadcrumbs by hand.
- Spray a baking tray with cooking spray and use a cookie cutter to shape small amounts of the mixture into hearts.. Or stars.. Or whatever shape your little one will like!
- Bake the hearts in the middle of a preheated oven at 180°c for 15-20 minutes. (Cooking time will depend on the size of your hearts.)
- Serve and enjoy!
Thank you Kayley. I am sure my son will love these hearts 🙂
Mine do not seem to hold together, would you suggest adding more bread crumbs?? I’be fold the exact receip! X
In what way did they not hold together? Too wet? My mixture was fairly wet but solid enough to hold its shape. You could try more breadcrumbs. Maybe your slice of bread was a little smaller than mine :-/
Would green lentis work just as well? I don’t have red at home.
I’ve never tried it but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work 🙂
I made these this evening without egg. So I removed the breadcrumbs. Seemed to be ok, lentils maybe a bit hard
Thanks for letting us know how they turned out 🙂
Can little ones gum these easily? Mine only has his 2 lower teeth and not tried him on anything really hard yet. Thanks!
They aren’t soft but aren’t too hard either, my son always surprised me how well he did with things like this when he had no teeth x
How do you reheat after freezing?
I just pop them in the oven at 180°c for about 5/10 minutes once defrosted to reheat.
Can you use split red lentils instead of dry red lentils?
I’ve never tried but I’d imagine it would be ok. Definitely worth a try!
Cant do cheese yet. Any suggestions on substitutions?
Could you try a dairy free cheese? There are many options available in most supermarkets that would be suitable for a recipe like this.
Can they be made without cheese?
I’ve never tried so I guess it’s worth a go! If not would dairy free cheese or similar be a suitable alternative for you?
Hello! So you don’t cook the lentils before they are baked? Is that right? Thank you!
Nope! Just soak them and then use. 🙂
Hi, maybe a silly question but if lentils say no need to soak on the packet, do I still need to soak for this recipe?
Many thanks
I make these all the time … has anyone tried a variation on this? I’m thinking green lentils and a head of broccoli instead?
Thoughts?
Can I soak overnight and still use the same quantities and cook temp/time?
I think that would be fine 🙂
I have breadcrumbs but not per slice – how much would equal one slice?
Ooh I’ll measure next time I make them. I’d say it’s about a large, heaped tablespoonful.