Time to reinvent the lentils. A bowlful of lentils… cooked with delicious flavorings and some imagination. It turns up into amazingly delicious comfort food.
Lentils are one of the super foods. High in nutrition, packed full of plant proteins, low in calories and very budget friendly. All win win!!
This list of Lentil Recipes have your favorites lentil soups from all over the globe, some fun appetizers and so many creative and delicious meals with different types of lentils. Make lentils a new way, a tasty and delicious way…
1. Moroccan Lentil Soup
Give your regular lentils an exotic makeover with this delectable soup. The warm and flavorful combination of Moroccan spices will forever change your idea of a bowl of lentils.
2. Dal Tadka (Yellow Indian Lentils)
Making your very own Indian dal is so much easier than you would think. All you need is a few regular Indian aromatics and spices and you can make this restaurant favorite in no time. This one is the ultimate comfort food for so many people in India.
3. Harira (Moroccan Lentil & Chickpea Soup)
Harira is a delightfully flavorful Moroccan soup full of lentils, chickpeas, lamb, and an array of veggies and exotic spices. It is especially popular during Ramadan.
4. Sopa de Lentejas (Mexican Lentil Soup)
Mexican Lentil Soup, known as Sopa de Lentejas in its home country, is a hearty and filling soup loaded with veggies and warm seasonings.
Get the Recipe: Sopa de Lentejas
5. 5-Minute Creamy Lentil Hummus
Hummus with a twist. Try your favorite dip with lentils. This super creamy and delicious hummus only has 6 ingredients and takes about 5 minutes of your time. Get ready for serious pita time.
Get the Recipe @ sweetsimplevegan
6. Simple 5 Ingredient Baked Falafel
These simple falafel balls are baked. No mess, no grease. With only 5 ingredients, lentils are the real star here with a good dose of herbs like parsley and cilantro. Once you bake these there are so many ways to eat them… in pita wraps, in salad bowls or just plain straight in your mouth.
7. Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
Feel like curry? Make these creamy Indian lentils with a splash of coconut milk. It’s perfect for meatless nights with a bunch of Indian flavors. Perfect over a plateful of rice.
Get the Recipe @ theendlessmeal
8. Beef and Lentil Stew
This rustic beef and lentil stew is a bowl of comfort. It’s like your classic stew except replacing potatoes with lentils adding to the nutrition value. Try it some night when looking for some cozy bowl of beef stew.
Get the Recipe @ aspicyperspective
9. Vegan Stuffed Peppers
Colorful red bell peppers with quinoa and lentils full of Italian flavors. These stuffed peppers are delicious, nutritious and budget friendly. Perfect creative lentil recipe.
10. Lentil Veggie Burger Recipe
Looking for a veggie burger? Try these lentil burgers. They’re a hearty, flavorful vegetarian dinner idea! These veggie burgers are full of protein and fiber, making them a healthy recipe choice for cookouts, barbecues or a cozy winter meal.
Get the Recipe @ theliveinkitchen
11. Lentil Meatballs
You don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan to think these lentil meatballs are great. They are so innovative and delicious to incorporate your favorite lentils. Easy baked Vegetarian Lentil Meatballs – simple, healthy, gluten free and protein packed! Perfect for a simple, filling meatless meal.
12. One Pot Cheesy Mexican Lentil, Black Beans & Rice
This pot has all the Mexican staples and is a complete one pot meal. You won’t even miss the meat in this easy to make Cheesy Mexican Lentils, Black Beans and Rice!
13. Tuscan Lentil Soup Recipe
This rustic and rich soup has all the wholesome Tuscan ingredients like rosemary, basil, garlic, and a host of garden produce along with one special ingredient… your lentils. It all simmers into one luxurious delicious pot.
Get the Recipe @ aspicyperspective
14. One Pot Chicken Drumsticks with Beluga Lentils
This one pot of juicy chicken drumsticks with black Beluga Lentils, fire roasted tomatoes and zucchini, and lots of leeks and garlic is a perfect contender for a quick easy meal. That’s a pot of lot of flavors and nutrition.
15. Moroccan Lentil Stuffed Eggplant
Stuffed baked eggplant with Moroccan-spiced lentils! Just 9 ingredients, big flavor, plenty of protein and fiber, and the perfect side dish or entrée.
Get the Recipe @ minimalistbaker
16. Vegan Pumpkin Soup
This pumpkin soup is made with minimal ingredients, is creamy without the cream and has red lentil power. This healthy vegan soup is easy to make using one pot and is ready in 30 minutes!
Get the Recipe @ simple-veganista
17. Ethiopian Lentils (Misir Wat)
Misir wat is a classic Ethiopian lentil recipe. These are spicy red lentils which are full of flavors and spices. Another very high protein and filling meal that’s easy to make.
18. Simple Vegetarian Skillet Lasagna
This vegetarian lasagna is extremely gooey and cheesy and is a real treat you have to try… vegetarian or not! This skillet lasagna is full of zucchini, mushrooms and lentils in place of meat. Perfect use of lentils for some meatless nights when you’re craving for some delicious cheesy goodness.
Get the Recipe @ halfbakedharvest
19. The Ultimate Vegetable Lentil Loaf
A wonderfully flavored lentil loaf for the whole family to enjoy. It’s hearty, delicious and made with pantry staples with a wonderful glaze on top. Leftovers make for great vegan meatloaf sandwiches!
Get the Recipe @ simple-veganista
20. Slow Cooker Lentil Sloppy Joes
A plant-based version of the all-American classic, these lentil sloppy joes have all the same flavor without any of the meat. And they’re so easy to whip up. Just toss everything in your slow cooker and let it do the work for you!
21. Lentil Minestrone
All the good flavors of minestrone plus lentils. Now that seems like one fulfilling bowl. Make a big batch and enjoy the leftovers for few days. The flavors in any soup enhances as it sits a day or two.
Get the Recipe @ peasandcrayons
22. Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy
These lentils are creamy cos of a touch of coconut milk with mushroom gravy, which make a great easy weeknight dinner. You can eat it like a stew with some crusty bread for dipping, or spoon it over a big bowl of mashed potatoes or rice. It’s hearty, creamy and delicious.
23. Creamy Thai Sweet Potatoes and Lentils
These creamy Thai sweet potatoes and lentils are so healthy and so delicious! Made with cabbage, sweet potatoes, lentils, and tomatoes, just to name a few!
24. Asian Lentil Lettuce Wraps
These Asian Lentil Lettuce Wraps are a great light, meatless, low cal dinner option.
They make a fun handheld meal the whole family will love.
Get the Recipe @ cookingclassy
25. Lentil Casserole
This comforting lentil casserole is a family favorite! Lentils and kidney beans are simmered with diced tomatoes, rosemary and garlic then topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Put it in the oven for a quick broil for this easy weeknight meal.
Get the Recipe @ loveandgoodstuff
26. Sweet Potato Lentil Curry with Crispy Sesame Chickpeas
This sweet potato lentil curry can be made on the stovetop or in your instant pot. It’s a mix of sweet potatoes, red lentils, Thai curry paste, and creamy coconut milk. It’s cozy, a little spicy, and filled with vegetables. Perfect on top of steamed rice.
Get the Recipe @ halfbakedharvest
27. One Pot Creamy Spinach Lentils
Lentils along with potatoes and spinach in a cream and broth base. It all turns into one luscious, rich and creamy dish.
28. Easy Lemon Lentil Soup
Lemon Lentil Soup is an easy meal to make and includes so many scrumptious ingredients. The flavors from the vegetables, lentils, lemons, spices, and herbs come together and create an amazing mix that is very tasty.
Get the Recipe @ eatsomethingvegan
29. Dal Makhani
Buttery and luscious Dal Makhani. This dal is usually made with black urad dal and kidney beans. You can make it on the stovetop, traditional pressure cooker or an instant pot. Bring those restaurant quality flavors to your home.
30. Lentil Shakshuka
A twist on traditional shakshuka, this one uses lentils in the shakshuka sauce. It would make a wonderfully delicious and comforting dinner, lunch or breakfast with a chunk of a baguette to sop up all the juices.
31. Koshari – The National Dish of Egypt
Koshari, or kushari, is one of the traditional Egyptian foods. This dish is considered the national dish of Egypt and is a very popular street food. This hearty dish features rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, tomato sauce and sprinkled fried onions. It’s an amazing dish with many flavors working well together.
32. Lentil Salad with Pomegranate Seeds
This lentil salad with pomegranate is a super simple and nutritious side that will go with almost anything.
33. Mujadara Lentils and Rice (Lebanese Rice)
Mujadara is hearty lentil and rice dish, also known as Lebanese rice. It’s a favorite classic meal from the Middle East. Mujadara is an easy and flavorful make-ahead meal, loaded with fabulous spices and topped with crispy fried caramelized onions!
Get the Recipe @ aspicyperspective
34. Lentil and Roasted Eggplant Salad
Lentils cooked in an aromatic broth with roasted eggplant chunks, cherry tomatoes and feta, all tossed in a lemony garlicky dressing. You will like this lentil salad recipe.
Get the Recipe @ recipetineats
35. Mediterranean Lentil Salad
We are ending the this amazing list of lentil recipes with this simple salad where lentil is the STAR. It has all the great Greek flavors and will go great in pitas or as the base of a salad bowl.
Get the Recipe @ saltandlavender
So you see, a bowlful of lentils doesn’t have to be bland and boring. When you add adequate amounts of different herbs, spices and all these amazing aromatics, the simple lentil meal can turn into one of the most comforting foods. You’ll come back to it again and again.
Pin of bookmark this great roundup of lentil recipes and you know where to go when you’re looking for a meatless night, or mixing this plant based protein with other proteins. Give yourself a lentil power boost! Enjoy…
The 35 BEST Lentil Recipes
This great collection of easy Lentil Recipes will give you a whole new appreciation for that nutrition packed and budget friendly legume! My favorite is this dal tadka:
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups toor dal
- 4-5 cups of water
- 1 medium sized onion
- 3 medium size tomatoes
- 1 green chili or jalapenõ
- 3 Tbsp ginger garlic paste (equal parts ginger and garlic)
- 1 tsp mustard seed, divided
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, divided
- 12-14 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 3 tsp coriander powder
- 2-3 whole dried red chilis
- 6 Tbsp ghee (divided)
- 1 tsp salt (plus to taste)
- Big handful of cilantro
Instructions
- Wash your toor dal a few times, replacing the water until it is clear.
- Place dal in pressure cooker with 4-5 cups of water, 1 tsp salt and a pinch of turmeric. Seal lid. Cook over medium high heat for 6 whistles of the pressure cooker. Remove from heat *but do not remove lid!*. There is still a great deal of pressure built up which must dissipate, set aside 10 minutes.
- Chop onion and tomatoes small dice sized. Chop green chili. Make a rough paste of ginger and garlic together.
- In a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat, heat ghee or oil and once hot add half each of mustard seeds and cumin seeds until they start to pop. Add curry leaves and sauté 10 seconds. Be cautious, this step can cause splattering oil.
- Add in chopped onions and cook for 3-4 minutes, until they are soft and start changing color. Add ginger garlic paste, chopped green chili and sauté for a minute. Now add in chopped tomatoes along with your spice powders. Mix well and cook for 10-15 minutes, until tomatoes are soft and cooked.
- Add the cooked dal. Mix in additional water, according to the consistency you like. Some prefer a little thicker dal and some soupy. And let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add in chopped cilantro.
- For the final tempering, in a small pan (such as a tadka pot), heat 4 Tbsp ghee. Repeat the tempering process in step 4, but this time add dried red chilis along with the curry leaves. At the very end, add a pinch of red chili powder, then pour this tadka mixture over the dal.
- Mix well and serve with basmati rice. Garnish with extra cilantro.
Notes
- Let me know which recipes you try, I love hearing from you!
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
Get griddling! Try these Blackstone Recipes!
Never miss a recipe!
Join the GypsyPlate mailing list and get easy dinner recipes right in your mailbox. From homestyle comfort food to exotic dishes from around the world.
