35+ Yummy Lentil Recipes
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Not sure how to use your lentils? You’re in the right place. This collection of scrumptious lentil recipes are a great place to start, full of ideas and cooking inspiration!
And it includes something for everyone!
Whether you’re looking for a hearty bowl of soup or a sensational salad, this roundup includes delicious lentil recipes from my blog and from around the internet, and it’s absolutely perfect to inspire you!
Lentils are an essential part of any well-stocked pantry and a staple in vegan and vegetarian recipes. They’re a fantastic source of plant-based protein, fiber, and other nutrients, they are extremely healthy and delicious!
Added bonus? Because of their size, lentils cook much more quickly than dried beans and do not have to be soaked before cooking.
What’s more, they’re incredibly versatile and inexpensive.
Their delicate, earthy flavor work well in a variety of dishes and in almost any type of cuisine.
You can add lentils into almost any savory dish, from dips to soups to pastas and turn the most simple dish into a filling, hearty, and delightful meal.
Your options are endless, and now let’s get you excited about incorporating more lentils into you diet. Enjoy! : )
Lentil Recipes
The best pasta with lentils
Let's start with one of my favorite Italian pasta dishes that's super filling and full of flavor. This one-pot pasta with lentils makes a terrific family meal ready in no time.
Lebanese Lentil Soup
This delicious, slightly spicy Lebanese lentil soup (Shorbat Adas) is a supreme example of how to turn inexpensive ingredients into a fabulous healthy meal. We love it because it’s deliciously thick, warming, and a breeze to make with just a handful of cupboard essentials.
Vegan Lentil Soup
The flavors in this vegan lentil soup will surprise you in a big way! The veggies and the protein-packed lentils are cooked in a rich cherry tomato broth amped up with plenty of aromatic dried herbs.
Spicy Tomato Lentil Soup
This soup uses red lentils, pepper, tomatoes, curry powder, fresh cilantro, and it's sure to please your taste buds. Don't forget crusty bread for dunking!
Lentil Tabbouleh
What about turning your lentils into a salad? This light, irresistible lentil tabbouleh is anything but ordinary! it’s a healthy salad that’s full of fresh flavor in every bite.
Mediterranean Lentil Soup
This fragrant Mediterranean lentil soup uses basic ingredients and it’s deliciously thick and full of warming ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and aromatic herbs. It’s also vegan, healthy, and economical.
Swiss Chard Soup with Lentils
In this soup the red lentils are combined with Swiss chard, garlic, and broth infused with cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Bright lemon juice and fresh coriander make the perfect final touches.
Sexy Lentil Salad
This salad is made with hearty lentils, feta, tomatoes, cucumber and drizzled with a beautiful lemon salad dressing. How delicious is that?!
Spicy Lentil Soup
Filled with plant-based protein and laced with bold flavors and creamy coconut milk, this spicy lentil soup is deliciously thick, comforting and full of nutrients.
Lentil Veggie Bolognese.
In this hearty and decadent lentil bolognese the sauce is made with lentils and packs so much flavor that you won't even miss the meat!
Carrot Lentil Soup
You'll love how the combination of tender sweet carrots and hearty lentils makes this soup delicious and filling. A perfect family meal during busy winter nights!
Jerusalem Artichoke Lentil Burgers
The base of these easy veggie burgers is green lentils and Jerusalem artichokes. it makes a delicious and satisfying winter meal!
Red Lentil Pasta Recipe
This red lentil pasta recipe makes a delicious family meal that uses healthy everyday ingredients. It’s the perfect blend between chunky pasta and smooth soup, deliciously filling and slightly spicy.
Lentil Kale Soup
This hearty lentil kale soup is a must-make for soup season! Packed with plant-based protein and fresh kale, it makes a warming, nourishing soup that is full of flavor and texture.
Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
You can use lentils to stuff your veggies like in these soft baked sweet potatoes topped with spicy-sweet-smoky green lentils and drizzled with tahini sauce. The combination of flavors and texture is super delicious!
Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
This sweet potato lentil soup makes a healthy filling family meal that uses seasonal sweet potatoes and protein-packed lentils. It’s rich, nourishing, and absolutely delicious.
Vegan Sunflower-Lentil Falafel
These falafels are made with greens lentils and ground sunflower seeds. Enjoy them all on their own or tuck them into wraps and generously drizzle with smoky tomato aioli.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
This instant oot lentil soup is a new staple in our cold weather recipe rotation. Packed with lentils and fresh veggies, it's warming, nourishing and full of flavor.
Green Lentil soup recipe
If you love green lentils, I'm sure you'll love this soup. It requires mainly cupboard ingredients, minimal effort, but the touch of of ginger, cumin, and coriander makes it so flavorful.
Moroccan Lentil-Stuffed Eggplant
These stuffed baked eggplant with Moroccan-spiced lentils are packed with protein and make the perfect side dish or entrée. And they look so scrumptious and hearty!
Carrot, Walnut & Red Lentil Hummus
This carrot, walnut & red lentil hummus is a nutritional powerhouse of a dip and it's absolutely delicious served chilled with an array of crisp, refreshing crudités.
Lentil Balls with Zesty Rice
These lentil balls use canned lentils and the process to make them iis so easy: blend, shape, bake. They're so versatile and filled with flavour.
Smoky Chickpea and Lentil Soup
This smoky protein-packed soup is perfect for cozy, cold winter nights when you’re craving something hearty and comforting yet healthy. It’s also vegetarian, vegan and gluten free for all to enjoy.
Lentil & Couscous Stuffed Peppers
I love these stuffed peppers full of lentils, couscous, basil and feta! They’re simple to make and make a terrific vegetatian light meal.
Lentil Curry
This lentil recipe is an incredible creamy coconut lentil curry made with just two spices. It's easy, economical and tastes amazing.
Red Lentil Hummus
This hummus is creamy, tangy, and nicely spiced with turmeric and other curry spices, because if you run out of chickpeas, you still can whip up a fantastic dippable snack.
Spicy Red Pasta with Lentils
This would make the perfect meal when you’re craving something quick, healthy, and filling, making it ideal for weeknight meals. Vegans and meat-eaters alike will love it.
Middle Eastern Lentil Soup
Spicy and full of goodness, this delicious Middle Eastern lentil soup will transport you to exotic places. It’s thick, filling, and full of flavor, yet simple and easy to prepare.
Pumpkin Lentil Falafel
Red lentils and pumpkin purée serve as the base in these lovely and crispy patties. They get pulsed with a flavorful mixture of fresh herbs, aromatic spices, oat flour, lemon juice, red onion, and garlic. YUM.
Detox Moroccan Lentil Soup
In this Moroccan soup we've got turmeric, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and smoked paprika which makes this soup extra cozy! It's also freezer-friendly and made in just one pot!
Vegan Meatloaf (Thanksgiving Main Dish)
Made with chickpeas and brown lentils, this incredible vegan main dish takes only 15 minutes of prep time and has an incredible texture and flavor!
Easy Vegan Red Lentil Dal (Masoor Dal)
This filling red lentil dal is one of the best options for those busy days when you don’t have time to cook dinner from scratch. Not only is it quick, but it's inexpensive and freezes beautifully.
Easy Lentil Meatballs
These meatballs are vegan, gluten-free, and packed with flavor thanks to fresh parsley, dried herbs, tomato paste. They're perfect for a weeknight meal when you’re looking for something hearty that doesn’t require too much work.
Mediterranean puy lentil salad
This eye-catching Mediterranean puy lentil salad is beyond delicious. It's a Mediterranean flavorsome salad that uses puy lentils, fresh herbs, eggs and anchovies for extra flavor!
Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos
You’re going to love this vegetarian lentil tacos with roasted califlower, seasoned lentils and creamy chipotle sauce combine to make a delicious taco!
Tomato and Lentil Stew
In this warming lentil stew the French lentils are cooked in a comforting tomato broth until tender and plump. It's an incredibly satisfying dish, and you can serve it over brown rice or alongside a warm baguette.
Different types of lentils
There are several varieties of lentils, these are the most common ones you’ll find in your local grocery store:
- Brown lentils: this is the most common variety, brown lentils hold their shape well and are ideal to use in salads, soups, casseroles, and veggie burgers.
- Green lentils: they have a more robust flavor and come in a range of sizes. Green lentils maintain a medium to firm texture making them perfect for salads, earthy soups, stews and side dishes.
- Red & yellow lentils: they’re also known as “split lentils” because they have been split in half. For this reason, during cooking they break down quickly and turn mushy making them ideal for soups (but they’re not ideal in salads!). They’re sweet and very common in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine
- Puy lentils (aka French lentils) similar to green lentils but with a slightly firmer texture, more speckled appearance and they’re grown exclusively in France.
- Beluga lentils (aka black lentils) They hold extremely well their shape make them great for salads, and less common for soups.
Preparation & cooking
You can use canned or dried lentils, both varieties are convenient and perfect for a multitude of dishes. Canned are ready-to-use for a quick meal, while for the dried version it’s important to rinse lentils in cold water, pick over to remove debris, then drain before cooking.
Below a rough estimate of the cooking time for each type of lentils, and here more tips about how to cook lentils.
- Brown lentils: 30 minutes.
- Green lentils: 25 minutes.
- Red lentils: 15-20 minutes.
- Puy lentils: 30 minutes.
- Beluga: 25-30 minutes
More recipe collections?
I’ve got you covered with some of my favorite roundups!
- 40 Meatless meals
- 15 Fresh mint recipes
- 34 Recipes with canned tomatoes
- 17 Ricotta recipes
- 13 quick pasta ideas
- Artichoke recipes
- 15 Mozzarella recipes
- 35 Italian appetizers
- 17+ olive recipes
Lastly, I hope if you enjoyed these yummy lentil recipes, and if you have any questions, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you and get your feedback! x
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35+ Yummy Lentil Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped (any color)
- 3-4 celery ribs + leaves, chopped
- 1 small bunch of cilantro, stems removed and chopped
- 1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, stems removed and chopped
- 1 scant Tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ – 1 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
- 1 can (14oz/400 grams) canned tomatoes (whole, diced or sauce)
- 1 cup (7oz/200 grams) dried lentils, rinsed
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
- 5 cups (1200 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if you prefer a thinner soup
- 1 ¼ teaspoon fine salt, or according to taste
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (optional)
To serve
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges (to serve)chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion, the celery and its leaves, the cilantro and parsley. You can use a food processor or a mini chopper to prep the ingredients quicker. If so, I would advice to blend the tomatoes to get a smoother texture.
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is turning translucent (5 minutes).
- Add the spices and stir to enhance all the flavors for about 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes, the lentils, the celery, the herbs, the broth and the tomato paste. Raise the heat and bring to the boil. Then reduce to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the lentils are done. Stir occasionally.
- Add flour and water to a jam jar and shake. Add this flour and water mixture to the soup, add the salt, stir and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, taste and make sure you're happy with the seasoning and the consistency. Feel free to add a touch of water if you prefer a thinner soup, and adjust the seasoning with more salt or black pepper if you wish.
- Serve with fresh lemon juice, chopped cilantro and crusty bread.
