Give Your Lentils a Roasty, Toasty, Snackity Life

I have a heavy hand when it comes to lentils. If I'm boiling some up for a dish, I'll inevitably have more than enough with plenty left over for another meal or two. And while I love nothing more than a restrained green lentil salad, I always welcome different ways to enjoy one of my favorite budget-friendly pantry staples.

Why not a crispy, snackity, roasted version? When I laid eyes on Jodi Moreno's Savory Crispy Lentils and Pepitas from her new book, More with Less: Whole Food Cooking Made Irresistibly Simple, I knew immediately these would be folded into my rotation as both an easy snack I'd grab by the handful, as well as a new favorite (and unexpected!) salad topper enjoyed by me and fellow Food52ers.

Cooked lentils and crunchy pepitas get tossed with a bit of olive oil and a dash of dried spices, like hot paprika and garlic powder. So simple and riffable, these are just begging for different permutations of whatever cupboard flavors you tend to lean towards.

“Since I prefer to reach for savory things when I want a snack, I keep this mix around (in lieu of, say, granola), so that I have something crunchy, nutritious, and satisfying to munch on when the mood strikes," Moreno explains in More with Less. "This easy-to-make mix also serves as a wonderful topping for soups, salads, or even roasted vegetables."

"It reminds me of a DIY version of some Indian snacks I grew up eating," says India-born Associate Editor Nikkitha Bakshani. She recommends adding a couple of pinches to yogurt—especially eggs with yogurt. The possibilities are endless.

What's your favorite healthy snack? Share them with us below!