This collection of recipes with lentils presents numerous and easy approaches to making and enjoying lentils on a rotational basis. Apparently, lentils are versatile vegetables that can work in combination with meats such as pork, beef, sausage, and chicken. They are equally good on their own as the anchor ingredient in meatless dishes. The following recipes with lentils prove one more important point which is that lentils need not be bland. They can indeed be made to be scrumptiously flavorful.
Table of Contents
Suggested Lentils Kitchen Equipment
Before we delve into the recipes, we wish to highlight a few kitchen equipment and its uses as this will be handy in some of the listed recipes. As much as this equipment is applicable to the following lentil recipes, it may also be used in a variety of other day-to-day kitchen applications.
- Airtight container – for refrigerating leftover lentil meals.
- French Oven/Dutch Oven – for cooking lentils and meat dishes
- Oven-safe Dish – for baking lentil dishes requiring the oven
- Food Processor – for blending lentils with other vegetables before making them into meatballs
- Meatball Maker – for making lentil meatballs
Recipes with Lentils
1. Succulent Lentil Soup Recipe
- Ready In: 55 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Fry
- Course: Mains/Soup
- Calories: 311kcal per serving
- Carbs: 48g per serving
We kick off this collection of recipes with lentils with this scrumptious and very popular dried lentils recipe. This lentil soup is made using green lentils only although a combination of red, brown, and green lentils is also permissible. The recipe overcomes, with flying colors, one of the major complaints often laid against lentils – blandness.
The final soup dish has a savory taste with great flavor on account of the spices included in the recipe. The texture is thick and comforting. In addition, one of the best parts of this recipe is that it calls for the most basic of ingredients which probably already exist in the reader’s pantry. These include cumin and coriander powder, paprika powder, and pepper. The lentil soup can be served with slices of bread.
2. Chicken Thighs Recipe with Lentils
- Ready In: 45 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: Western
- Course: Mains
Apparently, recipes with lentils are not only limited to soups but may also include meat such as chicken as in this case. This recipe not only has chicken thighs but also includes Chorizo, a type of pork sausage, which is added to the recipe minus its casings.
The lentils are first boiled and simmered to become tender while the chorizo and chicken thighs take turns being cooked in a saucepan and frying pan respectively. Other ingredients going into this recipe include dried thyme, bay leaves, garlic, lemon juice, and fresh parsley. The final dish will have the lentils mixed with the sausage with the chicken thighs topping the dish whole. If chicken is your weakness, we also suggest this excellent collection of Casseroles with Chicken.
3. One-Pot Chicken Recipe with Lentils
- Ready In: 40 minutes
- Serves: 2
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Fry/Boil/Simmer
- Course: Mains/Soup
- Calories: 360kcal per serving
- Carbs: 14g per serving
This is a highly rated one-pot chicken, bacon, and lentils dish – rich in flavor and very easy to make. Being a one-pot dish, it also goes easy on the cleanup, especially during weeknights. Some of the other ingredients in the dish include dried thyme, chestnut mushroom, tomato puree, garlic, chicken stock, and dry white wine.
The dry white wine can be replaced with more stock. Furthermore, in place of the bacon, you could also use diced ham. For the most part, this recipe can take a number of substitutions, variations, and approaches with very little trouble. The chicken, bacon, and lentils are cooked separately and then combined back into the dish once the lentils are also cooked, as the last thing. Serve with potatoes, mashed potatoes, or rice for a complete dinner.
4. Mexican Lentil Chicken Soup
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Serves: 8
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Course: Mains/Soup
This chicken recipe with lentils is a one-pot dump that is quick and easy to make. More time is spent cooking (25 min) than preparing the dish (5 min). In the end, what you get is a portion of flavorful comfort food that is zesty.
This is a wonderful dish, especially in winter that can be made using an instant pot, crock-pot, or on the stovetop. The breast chicken is added to the dump skinless and boneless. However, before serving it is shredded into bite-sized pieces using two forks. To make this recipe vegetarian, simply skin any chicken-related ingredients and replace them with more vegetables including vegetable stock.
5. Sausage and Pork Recipe with Lentils
- Ready In: 1 hr. 20 minutes
- Serves: 10
- Cuisine: Brazilian
- Course: Mains
- Method: Fry/Sauté/Simmer
This sausage and pork recipe with lentils is an important part of Brazilian traditional cuisine, especially around New Year’s. It is a very easy one-pan dish to make whose key ingredients are pork tenderloin, smoked pork sausage, and green lentils. The meats represent the protein side of the recipe while the lentils bring some starch to the table.
Other ingredients in the dish include everyday items such as cumin, lime juice, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil. The final dish is served as is, drizzled with olive oil and lime juice. Alternatively, you can create a scrumptious hearty meal by pouring the stew over some rice. In the event of any excess or leftovers, the lentils stew can also be stored frozen for up to 6 months! For a variety of sausage recipes, we suggest our collection on Recipes with Italian Sausage.
6. Vegetarian Lentil Casserole Recipe
- Ready In: 35 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Cuisine: Fusion/Vegetarian
- Method: Simmer/Broil
- Course: Mains/Weeknight
- Calories: 523kcal per serving
- Carbs: 80g per serving
This recipe produces a delicious, very rich, and comforting lentil vegetarian casserole dish. It is also suitable for clean eating, is gluten-free, and can even be easily turned into a vegan dish through the substitution of the cheese with your preferred vegan melting cheese.
Taking only 35 minutes to make, you have a fitting weeknight meal in this recipe, which can be pulled off using everyday pantry ingredients. 95% of the execution of this recipe is stovetop-based before the dish is finalized in the oven using the broiling method. The dish is good to serve as is. You may, however, pair it with a side lettuce and cucumber salad or other forms of green vegetables. If casseroles, in general, are your favorite we suggest this recipe collection of Casseroles with Chicken.
7. Italian Lentil Soup
- Ready In: 1 hr 20 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: Italian inspired
- Method: Boil
- Course: Mains
- Calories: 267kcal per serving
- Carbs: 35g per serving
This Italian soup recipe with lentils produces a one-pot meatless dish perfectly suitable for lunch or dinner. Similar to the Brazilian sausage and pork lentil stew earlier considered, this Italian lentils dish is also steeped in a strong and superstitious Italian New Year’s tradition.
Although suitable for any time of the year, in Italy, this Italian lentil soup is also widely prepared on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day itself. The dish out of this recipe can be served as is or with some crusty bread. During preparation, the lentils are soaked for up to 2 hours before they are drained and rinsed.
This technique helps to reduce the cooking time of the lentils and is generally applicable to many other lentil dishes. This recipe includes carrots, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, and potatoes. Once the soup has been made it can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. However, when frozen, it can last for as long as 6 months.
8. Beef Mince and Vegetables Soup Recipe with Lentils
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Cuisine: Moroccan inspired
- Method: Fry/Simmer
- Course: Mains
- Calories: 401kcal per serving
- Carbs: 42g per serving
This recipe produces a succulent one-pot ready-to-eat meal good for lunch or dinner anchored in lentils, beef mince, vegetables, and Moroccan flavorful spices. There will be no need for a separate side. Once the recipe is done, you have got a complete meal ready.
Not only is the recipe easy to make, but it is also economical as a single-pot meal. The Moroccan spice mix used in this recipe includes store-bought Moroccan spice mix (example), cumin powder, paprika, and black pepper. Going into the soup itself are dried lentils, green beans, celery stalks, and carrots among others. Once ready the dish is ready to eat with the option to top it with a dollop of yogurt and fresh coriander just before serving.
9. Beef Chunks and Lentil Stew Recipe
- Ready In: 1 hr. 20 minutes
- Serves: 8
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Fry/Simmer/Sauté
- Course: Mains
- Calories: 524kcal per serving
- Carbs: 38g per serving
This is yet another dish on this collection of recipes with lentils which has some beef. This time around we are working with beef chucks and not mince. The recipe produces a hearty and filling gluten-free lentils dish with an impressive deep beefy flavor.
This is a family recipe whose list of ingredients includes olive oil, celery, carrots, crushed tomatoes, red wine, bay leaves, and thyme. Making this dish involves sautéing, browning, and simmering. It is recommended to use a pot with a heavy lid that can trap the steam and help quickly tenderize the beef chucks.
10. Glazed Sweet Potatoes Recipe with Lentils
- Ready In: 90 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: Western
- Method: Boil/Roast
- Course: Side
Ever imagined if it was even possible at all to combine sweet potatoes with lentils? This recipe confirms it with a big yes. What you get out of this dish is a fantastic combination of flavors. The dish is healthy and absolutely filling.
To save time, the sweet potatoes and lentils can actually be cooked several days in advance. Black or green lentils will shine even more when used in this recipe although any lentils will do. Other ingredients going into the recipe are pure maple syrup, extra-virgin olive oil, soy sauce, white miso, and unseasoned rice vinegar. If you wish for more ways to enjoy sweet potatoes, we suggest this recipe collection on Recipes with Sweet Potatoes. Yummo!
11. Assorted Vegetable Soup Recipe with Lentils
- Ready In: 1 hr. 15 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Sauté/Simmer
- Course: Mains
- Calories: 239kcal per serving
- Carbs: 34g per serving
This is yet another lentil soup recipe bringing together a good amount of vegetables. This recipe has no less than 8 assorted vegetables, including Bok Choy , carrots, leeks, celery, and butternut squash. The recipe begins with the sautéing of some chopped onion and garlic in a Dutch oven-type pot with a heavy base.
The bulk of the vegetable is added next and simmered for some 15 minutes before more ingredients are added to the pot. The final dish will be served garnished with fresh parsley and black pepper and optionally paired with whole-grain bread.
12. Lentil Meatballs Recipe
- Ready In: 55 minutes
- Serves: 18 meatballs
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Sauté/Simmer
- Course: Mains
- Calories: 112kcal per serving
- Carbs: 19g per serving
This is yet another vegetarian recipe with lentils that uses a blend of lentils and other ingredients. Although referred to as meatballs, this is in reality a meatless recipe made using lentils and other non-meat ingredients. The ingredients are combined in a food processor and then formed into “meatballs”.
Other ingredients going into this recipe include shredded carrots, Italian parsley, dried oregano, and egg which act as a binder in the formation of the meatballs. One special aspect of this recipe is that it can be adapted to a variety of cuisines.
Furthermore, it is easy to make and also budget-friendly. While pan-frying has been the traditional method of cooking meatballs, this recipe takes pride in using the baking method which involves no oil. Serve the final dish with vegetable noodles or pasta. If you are interested in meatballs with real meat, we recommend this collection of Recipes with Meatballs.
13. Twice Baked Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils
- Ready In: 1 hr. 30 minutes
- Serves: 10
- Cuisine: American/Irish Inspired
- Method: Bake/Stew
- Course: Mains/Weeknight
- Calories: 255kcal per serving
- Carbs: 36g per serving
This recipe produces a delicious meatless, plant-based lentils recipe that can be served as a complete meal. The essence of the dish is to stuff potatoes with lentil stew and top the stuffed potato with some mashed potato. The potatoes are first baked in the oven and then sliced in half.
Each of the halves has the inner part of the potato scooped out as if making a canoe. The scooped out baked potato flesh is then used to make a mash that will top the lentils filling that will be put back in the “canoe”. That is all and the dish will be ready to serve.
To save time, store-bought frozen mixed vegetables and pre-cooked lentils are used in this recipe although you could start from scratch in both cases. Other interesting ingredients going into this recipe include coconut milk, garlic powder, dried thyme, and oregano.
14. Moroccan Lamb Stew Recipe with Lentils
- Ready In: 1 hr. 30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: Morocco
- Method: Simmer
- Course: Mains
If you can have beef stew with lentils you sure can also have lamb stew with lentils. This is what you get plus more with this Moroccan lamb stew recipe with lentils. The stew is made using the signature spice rub whose ingredients include ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, fennel seeds, and cayenne pepper among others.
This is a complete meal with potatoes representing the stew’s starch component alongside the lentils. Recipe steps include making the spice rub first followed by sautéing the vegetables. The spice rub will be specifically added to the meat. Although this recipe is made on stovetop, it can also be equally accomplished using a slower cooker.
15. Simple Spiced Lentils
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Cuisine: American/Western
- Method: Stovetop
- Course: Mains/Dinner
- Calories: 455kcal per serving
- Carbs: 73.2g per serving
We wrap up this collection of recipes with lentils with this befitting and very delicious plant-based budget-friendly dinner meal idea. This main dish suits a vegan or gluten-free meal plan any day. It is loaded with plant-based protein as found in the lentils themselves.
Other ingredients going into the recipe are black pepper, ground cumin, ground turmeric, garam masala, vegetable broth, olive oil, and lemon juice. The end result of this recipe will be a filling spiced lentils dish served garnished with chopped cilantro.
Conclusion
The foregoing collection of recipes with lentils proves the point that there is so much that can be done with lentils. Lentils shine in a variety of combinations that may include different meat types. Lentils can even create less common but flavorful dishes in combination with unlikely ingredients such as sweet potatoes.
Random But Good Reads:-
