Vegetarian Alternative to Ground Beef Recipe

Ingredients:

6 cups water

6 ounces dry lentils

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon paprika

1 bay leaf

15 cumin seeds, or more to taste, ground

salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

Bring water to a boil in a pot. Stir lentils into water, reduce heat to low, and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the water is mostly absorbed, 25 to 25 minutes. Stir onion, garlic, paprika, bay leaf, cumin, salt, and pepper into the lentils; continue cooking until the water is fully absorbed and the lentils tender, 5 to 10 minutes more. Stir olive oil into the lentils. Remove and discard the bay leaf.