25 Lentil Recipes Easy Meals

From hearty soups to vibrant salads, these recipes show how lentils can transform into mouthwatering dinners and meal–prep-friendly lunch ideas.

22. Stuffed butternut squash

Whichever shade you choose, lentils add wholesome richness and plant–based protein to your meals. Let’s explore how to cook nourishing and tasty meals with this versatile legume.

Our Best Lentil Recipes

Serve your curry with white rice and lemon wedges; dinner is ready.

2. Lentil bolognese

This rich and earthy lentil bolognese is an excellent sauce for spaghetti, lasagna, and linguine pasta. It’s plant-based, made with green or brown lentils, and a restaurant–worthy meal with authentic Italian flavor.

3. Lentil tabbouleh salad

This lentil tabbouleh salad is a refreshing starter or side dish with added plant–based protein. Serve as is with pita bread and hummus, and enjoy a wholesome Middle-Eastern side dish. We use green or brown lentils to make a rich, wholesome, and satiating pasta dish. Tip: Freeze the leftovers or eat them the day after—this pasta becomes even more flavourful after a couple of days.

5. Curry lentil soup

In this comforting bowl of curry lentil soup, aromatic spices, such as turmeric, curry, and cumin, take center stage. They enhance the earthy richness of the lentils. These golden spices add a vibrant color and bring anti–inflammatory benefits, creating a hearty and wholesome soup that nourishes the body and soul.

6. Sweet potato and lentil salad

This colorful sweet potato lentil salad features sweet potato cubes. It is perfect for lunch or a make-ahead dinner and great for potlucks and picnics. This is one of our favorite ways of eating canned lentils, a crowd–pleaser and family favorite. It’s a perfect lunch idea for school or the office, and it can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

8. Lentil soup

This lentil soup is perfect as an everyday dinner and a make–ahead meal, as you can store it for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. It’s made with green lentils using a one–pot method. Serve it with a slice of toasted bread for an Italian–inspired dinner.

9. Lentil hummus

This hummus with lentils is creamy, velvety smooth, and ready in five minutes. Try this easy and creamy lentil dip if you want a dip with your appetizer or vary your hummus routine.

10. Stuffed zucchini boats

These lentil zucchini boats fall without doubt into the healthy comfort food category. They are nutritious, easy to make, and packed with wholesome plant-based protein. The red lentils are cooked in 15–20 minutes, and the soup is ready in 30 minutes.

12. Lentil and rice ‘Mujaddara’

Lentil, rice, and onion Mujaddara is a delicious Middle-Eastern dish seasoned with spices and caramelized onions. Serve it as a wholesome dinner with a tahini yogurt sauce and green salad. The lentils make the dish nutritious and fulfilling, providing texture, protein, iron, and gut-healthy fiber. For busy weeknights, make a big batch of the soup and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.

14. Mushroom lentil Wellington

If you’re looking for a tasty vegetarian centerpiece with lentils, this is our choice: lentil mushroom Wellington. We make it with vegetables and walnuts. Served with creamy mushroom gravy and a side of green beans, it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

15. Stuffed bell peppers

Next on our list is stuffed bell peppers with lentils, rice, fresh herbs, and fragrant spices. The aromatic filling absorbs the juice of the bell peppers, and the combination of flavors and textures makes this recipe an irresistible vegetarian dinner.

19. Vegetarian lentil loaf

This vegetarian recipe is lovely for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas. You can prep most of it in a loaf pan and bake it shortly before serving it. It’s easy to make in one pot, and its texture and consistency are rustic, thick, and creamy, almost like a lentil stew.

17. Lentil chili

Lentil and bean chili is a tasty and wholesome one-pot meal where green or brown lentils replace the ground meat in classic chili con carne. It’s a hearty, satisfying, and high-protein meal that is easy to make with pantry staples and is excellent for meal prep.

18. Turkish lentil soup

Our Turkish red lentil soup is easy to make in 30 minutes and one pot. It has a smooth, creamy, comforting texture and a warm and soothing flavor, with a hint of tanginess from the fresh lemon juice. The lentil loaf slices beautifully; it has a rich, earthy flavor and a slightly chewy and almost meaty texture – perfect for meatless meals and family dinners.

20. Harira soup

Harira soup is a traditional Moroccan meal with lentils, chickpeas, and a rich and flavorful broth with warm spices, herbs, and tomatoes. It’s a nourishing and fulfilling Mediterranean meal with over 20 grams of healthy, high-quality plant protein per small bowl

21. Cauliflower lentil salad

This cauliflower lentil salad is a light and refreshing way of eating lentils. Roasted cauliflower makes the vegetable base, and we add canned lentils and drizzle with our creamy cumin dressing. You’ll love this recipe because it combines the sweet notes of the roasted butternut squash with the savory and meaty lentil filling.

23. Lentil patties

Lentil patties are easy to make and seasoned with fresh herbs, spices, and vegetables. Prepare the lentil batter in a food processor and cook it in a skillet, oven, or air fryer.

24. Vegetarian lasagna

Vegetarian lasagna with lentils is the closest thing to authentic Italian lasagna you can get without meat. While our vegetable lasagna used seasonal veggies as filling, this vegetarian lasagna used our lentil bolognese to remind us of the original Italian dish.

25. Dal

Our dal recipe is a creamy and comforting Indian dish that can be made in about 30 minutes with split lentils (we use yellow split lentils) in one pot. The recipe is excellent for a weeknight dinner as the lentils cook fast, and it keeps well for meal prep for days.

26. Lentil stew

This lentil stew is an easy one-pot recipe that combines earthy lentils with umami-rich mushrooms and tender winter squash. As it simmers on the stove, the aromas of herbs and vegetables fill the kitchen. Rustic and hearty soups, such as Tuscan bean soup, cabbage soup, and barley soup, are the easiest and most satisfying to make.

28. Lasagna soup

This lasagna soup combines tender noodles with rich and healthy lentil bolognese, fresh basil, and a dollop of creamy ricotta cheese. This Italian-inspired recipe is lovely for a cozy weeknight dinner and meal prep. They contain about 18-25% protein by weight, making them a valuable plant–based protein source. Including lentils in your diet can help meet your protein needs and offer additional nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In conclusion, lentils offer a rich and “meaty” alternative to animal–based protein. They can help you cook various meatless meals and high-protein vegetarian dishes.

Cauliflower salad with chickpeas for a boost of plant-based energy to keep you full all day long Mediterranean farro salad with roasted veggies, chickpeas, and pistachios Chickpea pasta salad: a quick and easy lunch idea ready in 25 minutes! Black bean salad: Inspired by Mexican flavors, this recipe is perfect for making ahead and eating for a quick and nutritious lunch or bringing potlucks and picnics. Italian bean stew with authentic Italian flavor, pinto beans, and tomato sauce

Cauliflower Salad

Chana Saag (Chickpea Spinach Curry)

Black Bean Salad

Farro Salad

After a vigorous hike, we savored a bowl of hearty lentil stew with organic brown lentils. More plant-based recipe ideas:

40 Easy Meatless Meals

45 Easy Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

30 High Protein Vegetarian Meals

40 Chickpea Recipes (easy meals)

Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients. Easy right? Comment * Name Email Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me when Louise or Nico reply to my comment.

Δ Yes indeed – here are some suggestions:

Substitute low-fat coconut milk if you are on a low-fat diet.
Substitute heavy cream or a non-dairy heavy cream for coconut milk.
To make the curry without coconut milk, I recommend increasing the amount of vegetable broth and reducing the amount of spices, or else their flavor will be overpowering. I hope this helps! Kindest, Louise Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.