A hearty lentil and rice bowl seasoned with roasted garlic and lime, built for meal-prep lunches.
Lentils (lentilhas) are a New Year's Eve tradition in Brazil, eaten for good luck and prosperity, but they also show up year-round in simple lunches alongside rice, similar to arroz com feijao but made with lentils instead of black beans. This bowl leans into that everyday version: lentils simmered with bay leaf until tender but still holding their shape, tossed with roasted garlic, olive oil and lime. Roasting the garlic mellows its bite into something sweet and spreadable, which gets whisked into the lentils along with a little cumin for warmth. The rice cooks separately so it stays fluffy and doesn't turn the whole bowl mushy. It's a practical, protein-and-fiber-forward lunch that reheats well, closer to what a Brazilian home cook packs for a workday meal than a restaurant dish, and it holds up over several days in the fridge without losing texture.
Serves 4
Heat oven to 200C/400F. Slice the top off the garlic head, drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil, wrap in foil and roast 35-40 minutes until soft and golden. Squeeze cloves out once cool enough to handle.
Rinse rice, then simmer with 2.5 cups water and a pinch of salt, covered, for 16-18 minutes until fluffy.
In a pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil and cook onion 5 minutes until soft. Add cumin and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add lentils, bay leaves and 4 cups water or stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered 20-25 minutes until tender but not falling apart.
Salt the lentils only near the end of cooking, since salting too early can toughen the skins.
Drain any excess liquid, remove bay leaves, then stir in the roasted garlic, remaining olive oil, lime juice and salt. Mash a few of the garlic cloves right into the pot for body.
Spoon rice into bowls, top with the garlicky lentils, and finish with fresh cilantro or parsley.
Buy garlic heads with tight, unbruised skins; they roast more evenly and don't dry out.
Undercooked lentils stay hard even after long cooking, so taste-test at the 20-minute mark rather than trusting the clock alone.
Pack rice and lentils in separate containers if meal-prepping so the rice doesn't go gummy.
Add diced carrots and celery with the onion for a heartier, more traditional lentil base.
Stir in a spoonful of tomato paste with the cumin for a deeper, slightly sweet red hue.
Top with sliced avocado and a fried egg to turn it into a fuller dinner.
Refrigerate lentils and rice in separate airtight containers for up to 4 days. Reheat with a splash of water in a covered pan or microwave until steaming.
Lentils are traditionally eaten in Brazil on New Year's Eve as a symbol of prosperity, a custom brought over by Italian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and absorbed into Brazilian home cooking, where they now appear in everyday lunches alongside rice.
No, brown and green lentils cook fully in about 20-25 minutes without soaking, unlike dried beans.
Yes, roasted garlic keeps refrigerated in its skins for up to a week, so you can roast a double batch and have it ready.
They likely overcooked past the tender stage; start checking at 18 minutes and pull them off heat as soon as they're tender but still whole.
Per serving (330g / 11.6 oz) · 4 servings total
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