Lentil lovers, these lentil burgers are for you! These hearty meatless burgers are made with familiar and wholesome ingredients, unlike many store-bought options these days. My Favorite Veggie Burgers are still my go-to, but these lentil burgers come in second.

These burgers are flavored with grated carrot, fresh cilantro or parsley, onion and garlic, and spices, including chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Two eggs are optional (omit them for vegan burgers), but they provide extra moisture and a lighter texture.

The recipe comes together beautifully in the food processor. Like my veggie burgers, these lentil burgers turn out best when baked in the oven, which is a more efficient and less fussy method than cooking them in a skillet. They turn out nicely golden and firm enough to hold their shape in between a bun.

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This classic lentil salad recipe features some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors, including cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, and plenty of fresh parsley in a zippy lemon dressing. The texture is an irresistible combination of tender, crisp and chewy. If you like lentils and tabbouleh salad, this recipe is for you.

I love to keep this hearty lentil salad in the fridge for a light meal, healthy side dish, or ready-to-grab snack. Bring it to your get-togethers and picnics for all to enjoy—this recipe is dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, egg-free and nut-free! I bet your friends will ask for the recipe.

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Some of my recipes start off with a strong concept or challenge, while others are designed to satisfy a craving. This lentil salad falls into the latter camp. It’s exactly what I’ve been craving lately.

This salad is tangy, crisp-tender, a little spicy, and quite satisfying. The earthy lentils and carrots ground the more bold flavors, so they’re not too overwhelming.

Dill, tahini and pepperoncini peppers aren’t everyone’s favorite ingredients, I know. I love them—the more, the better. If you’re not a fan, you’ll find some options to change up the recipe in the notes.

Better yet, try my classic lentil salad, Greek lentil salad with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, or my lemony lentil and chickpea salad with mint. Those are all safer bets!

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I love lentils. They’re highly nutritious, inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and come in a range of colors and textures. All that, and they can be truly delicious—if you know how to cook them properly. This lentil recipe yields perfectly cooked lentils, every time.

Lentils are one of my favorite plant-based sources of protein, right up there with their legume cousins, black beans and chickpeas. The beauty of lentils is that they don’t take long to cook (around 20 minutes or so), whereas beans require a couple of hours on the stove. Since I’m generally in a hurry before dinner, their quick cook time is a big selling point.

If you’re trying to eat better, just add more lentils. They’re great in salads, soups (this lentil soup is famous), side dishes, and even with pasta. Lentils continue to soak up nearby flavors as they rest, so they typically make great leftovers.

Since I have so many recipes with lentils on the blog, I wanted to share a primer on how to cook lentils. I’ve been tweaking my technique over the years, and I think you’ll appreciate this method. Here we go!

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Are you familiar with mujadara? It’s a beautiful dish layered with lentils and rice at the bottom, followed by caramelized onions (the more, the better), and hopefully a couple of creamy or spicy sauces on the side. It’s one of my favorite items to order at Middle Eastern restaurants, and this recipe tastes just like it.

Mujadara is served across the Middle East in various forms and goes by differing names, depending on where you are. It has many spelling variations: mujadarra, mujadarah, majadra, mejadra, moujadara, mudardara, and megadarra.

Mujadara is a seriously inexpensive vegetarian meal that would make a statement at your next get-together.

It’s also special diet-friendly, since it’s gluten free and easily vegan/dairy free (simply serve hummus or tahini sauce on the side instead of yogurt).

Lastly, mujadara is fun to make! Want to learn how?

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This delicious salad is healthy and hearty. It’s full of good-for-you fresh greens, roasted broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and lentils. Those base ingredients make it a rich source of fiber, protein, vitamin C, and other goodness.

Black lentils add some substance and textural interest, while the lemony vinaigrette wakes up the roasted vegetables.

Lately, I’ve been revisiting older recipes to make sure they’re in top-notch shape, and to get me through this winter slump. I came up with this recipe six years ago (six!) and it’s still one of my favorites. I updated the recipe to offer more specific seasoning amounts and cooking times so your salad turns out just like mine.

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This soup recipe was a long time coming! Over the years, I made some lackluster lentil soups that never saw the light of day on this website. No vegetarian food blog would be complete without a proper lentil soup, though, so I perfected one of my own.

Here it is. My lentil soup is made with mostly pantry ingredients but includes hearty greens and a squeeze of lemon for bright, fresh flavor. It’s seasoned with a few of my favorite spices and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Honestly, it’s the best lentil soup I’ve ever had.

The original title of this recipe was “Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup,” which is accurate, but a mouthful. With over 500 five-star reviews, I think it’s safe to call this the Best Lentil Soup. Period.

Whether you’re looking to lighten up your meals or warm up with a steaming bowl of soup, this healthy lentil soup recipe is for you! It’s one of my all-time favorites and I hope it becomes a staple in your kitchen as well.

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Intrigued? I was, too. I can’t take credit for this lovely combination of ingredients. This masala lentil salad comes from Gena Hamshaw’s new vegan cookbook, Power Plates: 100 Nutritionally Balanced, One-Dish Vegan Meals.

Perhaps you have come across Gena’s blog, The Full Helping, and come to appreciate her warm writing style and wholesome vegan recipes. If not, you’ve been missing out.

This salad combines tender roasted carrots, protein-rich lentils, fresh greens and mint with garam masala-infused vinaigrette. Raw red onion contrasts beautifully in both color and flavor, and pumpkin or sunflower seeds offer some welcome crunch.

I love sharing recipes from new cookbooks because it lets me share ideas I never would have come up with on my own. I wouldn’t have thought to add garam masala to a salad dressing, but it’s really nice. This is an unexpected alternative to traditional lentil salad.

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Remember my new marinara sauce recipe from earlier this week? I just had to share one of my go-to quick meals to go with it. I’ve been keeping this easy combination all to myself for the past few years, and it’s about time we talk about it.

Here it is: marinara sauce and lentils. I know, it might sound weird at first. But let me tell you, marinara and lentils is a delicious combination. Perhaps you have already encountered it in my lentil baked ziti?

Marinara offers deep, umami-rich tomatoes in irresistible sauce form. Lentils offer earthy flavor and a hearty, Bolognese-like texture. I use French green or plain brown lentils, which retain their shape better than red or yellow lentils.

Just combine marinara and lentils with whole-grain pasta. Ta da! You’ve successfully lightened-up a traditionally carb-heavy pasta dish into a well-balanced, fiber-rich dinner.

Watch How to Make Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils & Marinara Sauce

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Are you familiar with dal makhani? It’s a rich, spiced, lentil-based stew made for special occasions in India (especially in the Punjab region in northern India). Someday, I hope to travel there and taste it for myself. Maybe next year, if I’m lucky.

For now, I’ll enjoy this dal makhani at home. Dal makhani traditionally takes quite a long time to make, starting with soaking the lentils and then cooking them for hours on the stove (or more quickly in a pressure cooker). It’s often reserved for special occasions, like birthdays and holidays.

I couldn’t find traditional whole black lentils (urad dal) in grocery stores, so I used regular black lentils instead, which cook much faster. I also used canned kidney beans rather than dried, so this dish only requires about 45 minutes on the stove.

Dal makhani is generally made creamy with lots of butter and cream, but I stole a trick from my favorite lentil soup to make this creamy—I blended up about two cups of the cooked stew and stirred it back into the pot. The starchy lentils get nice and creamy that way.

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