Our Favorite Lentil Recipes

July 10, 2015
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Protein- and fiber-rich lentils are among the world's oldest cultivated crops. Here, our favorite recipes featuring the most convenient dried legumes. Lentils, in all their tiny-legume glory, are the perfect combo of protein, complex carbs, and fiber making them a great addition to soups, stews, salads, vegetarian dishes, and more. Best of all, they're quick-cooking and don't require soaking. 
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Our Favorite Lentil Recipes

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Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup

Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup

Simple flavors and a rustic touch will make this soup an instant home-cooked favorite, especially on chilly, wintry days. Inexpensive dried lentils make up the bulk of the soup, helping fill in your fiber gaps and keep you full longer. Chickpeas are the secret ingredient to achieve supreme creaminess, which become delightfully smooth when blended, and sneak in an extra 3g fiber per serving.

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Lentil Cakes With Mint Yogurt

Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Lentil Cakes With Mint Yogurt

Precooked lentils are a convenience item we love, saving nearly 30 minutes of simmering. Look for plain, steamed lentils (such as Melissa's), in the grain aisle. The food processor not only combines the patty ingredients; it coarsely chops the lentils so the finished cakes will hold their shape in the pan. While we love fat-free and reduced-fat Greek yogurt, go ahead and use full-fat here for a richer mouth feel and less tang in the sauce.

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Smoky Lentil Stew

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Smoky Lentil Stew

Dried brown lentils are nutrient-packed, inexpensive, and quick-cooking, making this low-fuss stew perfect for a hearty weeknight dinner. A wealth of aromatics joins forces with smoked spices and tomato paste to create a fragrant broth with a smoky edge. The crowning jewels of this one-pot vegetarian stew are the poached eggs, which cook beautifully in the steaming-hot pot of lentils. Be prepared: You will want crusty bread to dip into the runny egg and sop up the remains.

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Fall Vegetable and Lentil Salad

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Fall Vegetable and Lentil Salad

This salad of lentils with roasted butternut squash, carrots, and onions gets plated over a bed of creamy, lemon-scented Greek yogurt—so with each bite, you get the flavors of sweet caramelized veggies, earthy-nutty legumes, and tangy yogurt. We love the firm texture of French green lentils, but you can also use standard brown lentils. You’re not likely to find a whole butternut squash that’s only 1 pound; just buy the smallest one you can find, and use 1 pound of it.

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Curried Lentil-and-Vegetable Stew

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Curried Lentil-and-Vegetable Stew

Cooking Indian dishes at home doesn't have to take hours. Unsalted ketchup is a secret ingredient that adds just the right balance of tomato sweetness and vinegar tang. Serve with lime wedges and toasted naan bread.

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Warm Bacon-Dijon Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese Crostini

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Warm Bacon-Dijon Lentil Salad with Goat Cheese Crostini

Take advantage of quality shortcut ingredients for a satisfying meal with next to no prep. Precooked lentils reheat in a warm-sherry vinaigrette for an effortless French-inspired main.

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Sweet Potato-and-Red Lentil Curry

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Sweet Potato-and-Red Lentil Curry

This fragrant, Indian-style stew hits all the right notes with aromatic garam masala, fresh ginger, and concentrated red curry paste. The coconut milk mellows and loosens the potato and lentil mixture just enough so that it can be spooned over rice.

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Herby Lentil-and-Sausage Soup

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Herby Lentil-and-Sausage Soup

Inexpensive dried brown lentils make up the bulk of this soup, with accents of Italian sausage for richness. Dried brown lentils hold their shape after being cooked, so this soup is a good one to make ahead. The spinach will lose its vibrant color, though, so either add it when reheating the soup or make your peace with the darker color. Here's a supersimple soup tip: Simmering with whole thyme sprigs infuses flavor without your having to strip those little leaves off the stems; simply remove the sprigs before serving.

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Spicy Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew

Photo: Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Spicy Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew

Berbere, Ethiopia's signature spice blend, includes garlic, ginger, coriander, femigreek, and allspice in addition to a big pinch of ground chiles. Look for it at well-stocked supermarkets. For a change of pace, skip the rice and serve with our Teff Injera Flatbread.

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Spiced Lentils and Poached Eggs

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Spiced Lentils and Poached Eggs

Quick, healthy, and delightful, flavorful lentils mix well with poached eggs for a quick and easy meatless meal option.

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Wild Mushroom and Lentil Cottage Pie

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Wild Mushroom and Lentil Cottage Pie

Yukon gold potatoes, mushrooms, soy sauce, and tomato paste boost umami taste in this hearty entrée. If time is a concern, use store-bought, refrigerated mashed potatoes for the topping. A light drizzle of white truffle oil over the finished dish provides an irresistible aroma.

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Lentil-Barley Burgers with Fiery Fruit Salsa

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Lentil-Barley Burgers with Fiery Fruit Salsa

Use leftover cooked pearl barley with lentils, veggies, and seasoning for a hearty main-dish burger, sans the bun. Fruit salsa adds bright flavors. Serve with lime wedges for added zest.

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Red Lentil-Rice Cakes with Simple Tomato Salsa

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Red Lentil-Rice Cakes with Simple Tomato Salsa

Crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, these salsa-topped, red-lentil rice cakes make a lovely vegetarian entrée.

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Black Lentil and Couscous Salad

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Black Lentil and Couscous Salad

This zesty side is modeled after tabbouleh, the Middle Eastern salad of bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil. Here, we use couscous instead of bulgur and add black lentils for color and texture. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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Lentil-Edamame Stew

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Lentil-Edamame Stew

Fava beans are traditional in this stew, which we updated with edamame. You can also substitute green peas for the edamame, if you like. Scoop up the thick stew with Teff Injera Bread or pita. Halve the portion if you'd like to serve this as a hearty side dish.

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