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Lentils are nutritious, protein-packed and budget-friendly! This collection of delicious lentil recipes offers ideas that are perfect for anyone looking for a hearty and flavorful meal.
Low in calories and high in nutrition, lentils are a plant protein that’s pretty darn perfect—and they’re budget friendly too! Luckily, they also have that important final element: they make delicious meals.
Here at A Couple Cooks, Alex and I are married authors of two cookbooks who have been writing recipes for over a decade. Here’s what we’ve found: when prepared correctly, lentils can be one of the best ingredients for healthy, satisfying, economical, and delicious meals. Here are our top lentil recipes, from soup to nachos!
Our top lentil recipes
Here is a list of the top lentil recipes from this website that we make over and over again, along with a few tasty ideas from some of our other favorite recipe websites.
Here's our very favorite lentil recipe: this 7 ingredient lentil soup! It's easy, plant-based, perfect for meal prep, and extraordinarily delicious. If you’re looking for easy, healthy budget-friendly meals. this is a game changer.
This 30-minute coconut lentil curry is one of our most popular lentil recipes to date. Inspired by vegetarian cookbook author Erin Alderson, it’s a fast and easy dinner idea that’s healthy and full of flavor. Readers have commented things like, “Absolutely LOVED IT! Definitely am making again.”
Another of our favorite lentil recipes, this lentil salad pops with tangy and savory notes, pairing tender lentils with a zippy white wine vinegar Dijon dressing, crunchy cucumber, fresh tomatoes, and salty feta. It stays flavorful in the fridge for days, making leftovers even better.
Lentils make a superb stand-in for taco meat, making a delicious vegetarian dinner recipe that even carnivores enjoy! The lentils are meaty and savory, and topped crunchy fresh veggies and salsa.
This lentil shepherd’s pie is cozy comfort food to the max! Imagine: a creamy gravy filled with tender vegetables, lentils and scented with fennel and sage. Then a fluffy layer of Yukon gold potatoes, topped with fresh rosemary. It’s layered together in a baking dish and then baked until golden.
Masoor dal is Indian for “red lentils,” and this authentic Indian lentil recipe shared by Chef Asma Khan from the Asma’s Indian Kitchen cook book is equal parts flavorful and cozy. Serve with naan or chapati for dipping.
The texture of red lentils breaks down faster than most other lentils, making them perfect for quick soups or dal. This simple red lentil soup is deliciously hearty, featuring aromatic vegetables, lemon and a hint of smoked paprika.
These vegan lentil sloppy joes are deliciously filling plant-based dinner made with lentils, tomatoes, and seasonings! Serve on a bun with pickles for the true sloppy joe experience.
This lentil recipe showcases the versatility of this plant-based protein to its fullest! The sweet potatoes are baked whole, until flaky and tender, then topped with lentils mixed with Moroccan flavors: cumin seeds, cinnamon paprika and harissa. They're drizzled with a creamy tahini sauce that brings it all together.
These loaded lentil nachos are they’re piled high with smoky, meaty lentils, crunchy veggies, and topped with our vegan nacho cheese. To keep them on the healthy side, look for organic corn chips with minimal ingredients (ideally corn, oil, and salt).
This vegan lentil loaf recipe is a deliciously satisfying meatloaf without the meat! It’s made with lentils, nuts, and seasonings, then brushed with a tangy glaze.
This curry lentil soup is perfect for anytime! It’s full of hearty red lentils and root vegetables, and the broth is swirled with red curry paste and coconut milk. With all the texture and flavor elements, it tastes rich and luxurious.
This Ethiopian red lentil curry called mesir wat is a delicious dish similar to Indian curry, but is flavored with cardamom and ginger. This recipe was provided to us by an Ethiopian immigrant: it's full-flavored and extremely satisfying served over rice for a hearty meal.
Dal translates to “lentils” in Hindi and Makhani translates to “buttery”, so this dish literally means “buttery lentils”. It’s a traditional Indian dish made with black lentils, beans, butter and cream. This recipe uses canned beans and black lentils to shorten the cook time for this flavorful vegetarian meal. It’s super savory, featuring garlic, ginger, and garam masala.
Why not make that classic Italian dish vegan with lentils? Hearty lentils and the buttery walnuts do a great job of replicating the meaty flavor of a traditional bolognese. They pair well with the rich, deep flavors of tomatoes, tomato paste, veggie broth, and wine.
Lentils are also a great replacement for ground beef in a chili recipe! This flavorful chili features red lentils along with spices, tomatoes, jalapenos and corn to make a thick and hearty stew.
Why not turn lentils into meatballs while you're at it? These easy baked vegetarian lentil Meatballs are simple, healthy, gluten free, and protein packed! They make a satisfying meatless meal served over pasta. via Well Plated
One of our favorite lentil recipes with black lentils is these lentil stuffed sweet potatoes! Imagine: the savory sweet combination stuffed with fresh herbs and tangy goat cheese.
This hearty butternut squash lentil soup comes together in about an hour and is perfect for serving on colder winter days. It’s filled with nutrient-rich foods like lentils, butternut squash, leeks, and chard: and a splash of white wine for some class.
Here’s a lentil recipe that makes a customizable lunch or dinner: a Brown Lentil Bowl! This recipe results in perfectly seasoned, tender lentils. You can eat them as-is, or add them as a component to tacos, salads, and more.
And to round out the list, this hearty lentil stew! The broth is flavored with tangy fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic and smoked paprika, and it’s full of vegetables and hearty lentils.
Types of lentils
Here’s a quick primer on lentil types! We long loved this legume as an economical and delicious superfood (here are some documented benefits of lentils per the National Institutes of Health). Make sure to use the type the recipe specifies, because they have different flavors, shapes, cook times. Here are a few of the most popular types of lentils:
- Brown & green lentils: Brown and green lentils are the most “standard” varieties when you think of lentils. They cook quickly (in 20 to 30 minutes), and tend to fall apart when cooked instead of hold their shape. This makes them ideal for soups and curries.
- Red lentils: Red lentils are bright orange in color and most commonly found in Indian curry dishes like daal. They take about 20 minutes to cook and break down quickly into a uniform texture.,
- French lentils (also called Puy lentils): French lentils hold their shape when cooked, making them different from brown, green and red lentils. These small and greenish-gray lentils are great for salads or stuffing into vegetables like sweet potatoes.
- Black lentils (Beluga lentils): Black lentils are extremely flavorful. They’re very small and dark, like a combination of French lentils and brown lentils. They’ll hold their shape when cooked which works for salads, but when cooked longer they fall apart like in curries and soups.
Easy Lentil Soup
This easy lentil soup is only 7 ingredients (excluding salt and water) and simple to meal prep as a lunch or dinner recipe! It’s one of our top cheap and delicious healthy meal prep ideas.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Soup
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 9 to 10 cups water
- 1 pound (16 ounces) dried green or brown lentils
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin*
- Optional garnishes: Finely chopped parsley, freshly ground black pepper, grated Pecorino cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until tender.
- Add the water, lentils and cumin. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are tender. Add the additional ½ to 1 cup of water as needed. Taste and add additional salt to taste.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for meal prep: the soup lasts up to 1 week refrigerated and leftovers taste even better (you can also freeze them for up to 3 months). Leftovers may soak up extra broth, so you can add a splash of water and pinch of salt if the texture becomes too thick.
Notes
*If desired, you can change up the spices. This soup is great with 2 to 3 teaspoons curry powder (and a half can of coconut milk, if you like). You can also substitute other spices like dried tarragon, dried oregano, and more.
More legume recipes
Lentils are legumes, or members of the bean family. There are seven different types of legumes: lentils, peas, broad beans, chickpeas, soybeans, beans, and peanuts. Legumes are full of protein and fiber, making them a great healthy choice for meals.
A few of our fan favorite recipes with other legumes are this easy chickpea curry, classic bean soup, black beans and rice, and our lemony peas recipe.
Let us know if you try our new soup!
I ha e been wanting to try lentils so I’ve saved about 6 recipes. Glad I fou d your site. Thanks
I have recently learned how to make lentil bread. Yes, that’s right, lentil bread. It does not have any grain flour in it, only soaked and ground red lentils for the main ingredient. There are a number of recipes on the internet for it, but my favorite comes from Refika’s kitchen (YouTube). She is from Turkey. Apparently, they know their lentils there. I encourage you to investigate. I found the bread quite rewarding.
Thank you for the idea!
Looking for a meatball recipe using lentils. Can you help.
Thank you for giving me ideas on making meals using Lentils. I have just recently started to use Lentils and am loving the recipes from you.
So glad to hear that!
lENTILS ARE THENEW FOOD i HEAR SO TIME TO GET CREATIVE WITH LOTS OF NEW RECIPIES WE HAVE SOME TASTES TO TURN TO LENTILS THANKS :)
Love this! Thank you for the hard work put in. Much appreciated.
These recipes were great! I will eventually try them all. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome!