Healthy recipe similar to mashed potatoes

I discovered this last night, quite by accident, when I forgot to check the red lentils I was cooking to go with my curry.  Well, red lentils cook extremely fast and by the time I checked on them, they were complete mush.  Oh no, I thought, looking in dismay at the dismal yellowish goo in the pot.  However, I scooped out a little spoonful to test it out and to my surprise, they tasted amazingly similar to mashed potatoes!  We ate them as is as a side dish to the curry, but I think next time I will actually do this on purpose and maybe add a little milk or broth, or even garlic or roasted peppers.  Yum!  Anyway, it's something to think about if you are ever craving mashed potatoes - lentils are an excellent alternative since they are much better for you than starchy potatoes.

I love discovering things like this by accident. Thanks for sharing.

Nice idea - I love red lentils to add body to a soup, but I never thought of using a mashed-potato flavor profile on them. I'll have to give this a try.

Here are the stats for a 1/2 cup serving:

Red Lentils: cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
Calories: 79
Total Fat: 0.0 g
Total Carbohydrates: 13.44 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g
Protein: 5.6 g

Potatoes: cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
Calories: 67
Total Fat: 0.1 g
Sodium: 4mg
Total Carbohydrates: 15.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
Sugars: 0.7g
Protein: 1.3g

sounds yummy. thanks!

I bet you could add some pureed steamed cauliflower (which I sometimes use for a mashed potato-like substitute) to add bulk without calories.  1/2 cup of ANYTHING is usually too little for my tummy.... :)

Thanks for posting that... I will have to give it a go!