24 Lovely Lentil Recipes

Lentils are a quiet, sneaky superfood that should absolutely be added to more meals. They may be intimidating to tackle at first, but once you see how easy they can be, these lentil recipes are a great addition to your weekly meals. Lentils are rich in protein and protein is essential for the body’s growth, repair of tissues, and overall maintenance. Lentils contain about 25% protein by weight, making them a valuable protein source for vegetarians and vegans. Another nutritional benefit is their dietary fiber. Fiber is important for digestive health and can also help lower cholesterol levels by binding to cholesterol molecules and removing them from the body. 

In addition to these two primary benefits, lentils also provide a range of vitamins and minerals, including iron, potassium, phosphorus, and folate. They are low in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates, making them a nutritious and versatile food choice. Adding lentils to your meals can contribute to overall health and well-being, as well as add a meaty texture to vegan or vegetarian meals. Give these lentil recipes a try this winter! 

1. How to Cook Lentils Perfectly

One of the best things about lentils is the texture you get when they’re perfectly cooked. The first step is learning how to cook them so that they aren’t mushy. Once you’ve mastered this one step, you’ll feel comfortable adding them to your own recipes and meals. You can do it in about 30 minutes right on the stovetop. 

2. Lentil Recipes: Stuffed Bell Peppers

Even if you’re not vegan or vegetarian, this stuffed bell pepper recipe is great if you’re looking for a hearty, plant-focused dish. But you can even add meat if you prefer! This Lentil Stuffed Peppers recipe is a highly flexible, filling dish. It is a freezer-friendly recipe that can be made ahead of time and enjoyed effortlessly. 

3. Italian Style Vegan Lentil Meatballs

The magic of using lentils is their ability to mimic a meaty texture. You won’t even know these meatballs are completely meat-free, especially once they’re mixed in with a delicious tomato sauce. Within an hour, you can have these savory, garlicky lentil meatballs whipped up and ready to dive into. 

4. Italian Style Vegan Lentil Meatballs

This Moroccan-inspired dish will warm you up from the inside out! Lentil sweet potato salad is a nutritious, tasty, and aromatic salad that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner. It’s great for meal prep lunches because it can be eaten warm or cold. It’s hearty and packs a plant-powered punch. 

5. Lentil Recipes: Caramelized Onions and Lentils

Just imagine the savory aroma of caramelized onions and lentils filling your kitchen and inviting all of the house to come and eat a delicious meal. Paired alongside roasted meat like chicken or pork, you’ll have a warm, flavorful meal ready to feed a hungry family. This keeps well too, so you could make it a few days ahead of time to save yourself some work. 

6. The Ultimate Vegetable Lentil Meatloaf

Meatloaf without the meat, and you won’t even miss it! This lentil meatloaf is a powerhouse of nutritious ingredients. It’s got a beautiful glaze on top that will remind you of any “real” meatloaf. This recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner and the leftovers are great for sandwiches the next day. 

7. Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes

This vegan lentil sloppy joe recipe is easy to make and packed with plant-based protein. Sloppy Joes are popular because they’re easy to make and can feed a good amount of people. However, the traditional Sloppy Joes requires high-fat meat and a highly processed canned sauce. This version of Sloppy Joes is something you can feel good about eating! They are low in fat and have no highly processed ingredients. 

8. Lentil Recipes: Vegetable Potato Fritters

Veggie fritters are one of the best ways to incorporate lentils into your diet. They’re crispy, savory, and packed with delicious flavor. They’re also vegan! And this recipe comes with an additional recipe for sriracha mayo that pairs with the veggie fritters perfectly. Veggie potato fritters would make a fantastic afternoon snack or appetizer. 

9. Vegetarian Lentil Casserole

The whole family will love this hearty lentil casserole! A simple weeknight meal that you’ll want to eat again and again is made with lentils and kidney beans simmered with diced tomatoes, rosemary, and garlic and topped with shredded cheddar cheese. It keeps well in the fridge, so you can make a large batch and eat it throughout the week. 

10. Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie

Again, lentils add a delicious, meaty texture to traditional shepherd’s pie. Even without the beef, it’s got great depth of flavor, thanks to the red wine, mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley added. Vegetable shepherd’s pie is a great way to sneak some veggies into your kids because they’ll love the flavor. 

11. Easy Vegan Chili

Everyone needs a chili recipe for the cold months! And lentils are the secret to a really good vegetarian chili. It’s another great way to sneak veggies into the family. One serving has 11 grams of fiber so it’s amazing for gut health and you can feel good about feeding it to the family. 

12. One Pot Italian Pasta and Lentils

With just a few pantry essentials, you can cook this Italian pasta with lentils. This is a healthy, vegan, and incredibly delicious one-pot recipe. One pot means it’s easy to cook and easy to clean up – it doesn’t get better than that! The combination of pasta and lentils is hearty and comforting. 

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13. Lentil Recipes: Bolognese

Speaking of the pasta-lentil combination, this lentil bolognese is to die for. The addition of lentils just enhances the texture of the hearty pasta. Lentil bolognese is a simple weeknight meal that can be whipped up in under 30 minutes. And it’s also gluten-free and vegan. It needs to be added to the weekly rotation for sure. 

14. Creamy Coconut Curry

The creamy coconut lentil curry is an easy, healthy vegan recipe that’s perfect for meatless Mondays. You can make it in less than an hour (mostly hands-off) and it tastes delicious. Don’t forget to make extras so you’ll have a big smile at lunch the next day. It’s also easy to adjust the heat of the curry by omitting the cayenne pepper. 

15. Red Lentil Dahl

This red lentil dahl recipe is quick and satisfying, uses one pot, is packed with protein, fiber, and nutrients, and is a naturally vegan crowd-pleaser. This dahl is a dish made from dried lentils and is a flavorful curried soup/stew made with several Indian spices. It’s delicious and served with warm naan bread. 

16. Curry Sweet Potato Stew

This hearty, wholesome, and oh-so-delicious Curried Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew is packed with plant-strong ingredients and will have everyone in the family running back for seconds. It’s wholesome due to the use of whole foods, and nothing processed. You’ll love the flavor you get when all of these ingredients come together. 

17. Lentil Recipes: Vegan Winter Stew

Vegan winter stew isn’t just healthy, it’s budget-friendly as well. This hearty stew is made with onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, and green peas, and is topped with dried rosemary, dried thyme, a little Dijon mustard for some zing, soy sauce for umami, and a little brown sugar to add a sweetness similar to Worcestershire sauce.

18. Simply Delicious Lentil Loaf

This lentil loaf is reminiscent of meatloaf, but it’s Weight Watchers friendly and under 200 calories per serving. With 26 grams of energizing carbs and 10 healthy grams of fiber, this lentil loaf will fuel you well so that you don’t get that afternoon crash at work. It keeps well in the fridge so it makes a fantastic recipe for meal prep lunches. 

19. Vegan Lasagna 

Yes, lentils are even good in a pasta casserole like lasagna! It gives a meaty texture that a vegan dish often misses out on. It’s made with lasagna noodles, vegetables, lentils, tomato sauce, nutritional yeast, basil, garlic, and vegan cheese. Once combined, it’s a dish that will comfort any soul.

20. Easy Potato Soup

You know what potato soup is missing? Lentils. With lentils added, it’s like a beef and potato stew and is ultra-flavorful. The potatoes add more nutrients and cook at about the same rate as lentils. Everything comes together at the perfect time. You will love a post-work, warm bowl of soup on a weeknight in. 

21. Lentil Recipes: Pea and Potato Curry

Another delicious curry to try is this recipe that has peas and potatoes added. Lentil, pea, potato curry is hearty and richly spiced which not only will delight your taste buds, it will waft the savory aromas throughout the house. You can serve this curry over a bed of rice, or with warm naan bread. 

22. Vegan Taco Meat

If you need vegan taco meat for Taco Tuesday, but don’t want tofu, give lentils a try. Once combined with cauliflower rice, olive oil, onion, tomatoes, and a variety of spices, you will have a nutritious vegan taco meat substitute that rivals the real stuff! You may even convert a few meat eaters. 

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23. Instant Pot Lentils and Rice

Lentils and rice make a nutritious, filling meal but making the two ingredients on their own can take a while. With this Instant Pot recipe, you’ll have them each done in just a few minutes. You can add whatever spices you like as well as use a variety of veggies to make this dish your own. 

24. Lentil Recipes: Easy Vegetable Bake

It’s the end of the week, and your fridge is stocked with veggies you didn’t get around to using. You know they’ll go bad over the weekend, but you can’t eat them all today? Make this veggie bake! It’s a great way to use up any leftover veggies in the fridge, and it can be frozen, so you don’t have to eat it right away. Save it for a rainy day! 

Lentil recipes are delicious and nutritious! Put a few of these on your weekly menu, and you’ll love feeding the family good-for-you and good-tasting food.