Simple Spiced Lentils

These simple spiced lentils are an easy, budget-friendly dinner idea! They’re packed with tons of plant based protein for a healthy, vegan, & gluten-free meal idea!

Benefits of Cooking with Lentils

Can we talk about how awesome lentils are? They contain a whopping 9 grams of protein per 1⁄2-cup serving. A bowl of lentil soup like this one can easily provide more than 20 grams of protein. Plus, they’re easy on the budget.

All the ingredients for this recipe (with the exception of some of the spices that I already had) cost me about $8, and this could easily feed a whole family! I love showing how healthy meals don’t have to be expensive. To save even more money, grab your lentils in the bulk bin! It tends to be cheaper than buying bags of lentils.

Buying Fresh Lentils

One quick note: be sure your lentils aren’t too old. Although lentils don’t “go bad” like a lot of other ingredients, if your lentils are old they won’t soften properly. They still last a long time, but unfortunately, sometimes the lentils you buy at the grocery store have already been sitting on the shelf for a month. I try to get them in the bulk bins because they tend to be fresher!

So if you’re looking for a quick, easy, healthy recipe, try these simple spiced lentils for dinner tonight!

Simple Spiced Lentils

★★★★★ 4.8 from 4 reviews

• Author: Liz Thomson
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• black pepper, to taste
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika or paprika
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

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Instructions

1. Place lentils in a medium-sized pot, with 2 cups of vegetable broth.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce, and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are just tender.
4. Note: Make sure your lentils are tender! Ours were still firm so I added more broth and cooked longer!
5. Drain well.
6. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized skillet, over medium heat.
7. Add chopped garlic cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
8. Stir in tomato sauce, remaining vegetable broth, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, ginger, cumin, turmeric, paprika, garam masala, and cooked lentils.
9. Garnish with chopped cilantro when ready to serve.

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I’m kind of obsessed with lentils and how delicious they are. They’re such an awesome vegetarian source of protein and the offer the kind of heartiness that will satisfy even the meat eaters in the family!

What’s your favorite way to use lentils?