Lentils with Vegetables and Cumin

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These lentils are full of warming flavors like bay leaf and cumin, and are simmered with hearty root vegetables like red potato and carrot. Serve over rice or quinoa for a 35-minute plant-based meal that is super healthy, comforting, and so delicious. 🙂

When I was a kid, we always had cans of Amy’s Lentil Soup in our pantry. We loved to have steaming bowls of lentil soup with grilled cheese sandwiches (an interesting combination, I know…but we loved it).

Because of those good memories, to this day, lentils bring me a sense of warmth and comfort whenever I eat them. Now, Amy’s lentil soup is still so delicious…buttt it’s also pretty pricey.

So I decided to come up with an affordable and flavorful lentil recipe that was full of the same vegetables in Amy’s lentil soup that I love: potatoes, carrots, celery, some garlic, etc. Plus a few other flavors that I love as well like cumin and bay leaf!

I like to add cumin to my lentils which gives the lentils a warm, slightly Mediterranean flavor. Garnish with fresh tomatoes and serve over rice for an easy, affordable plant-based meal that is absolutely delicious, comforting, and healthy!

Oh, and these are always a hit with my toddler 🙂

Why You’ll Love Lentils with Vegetables and Cumin

It’s Cheap and Healthy – Lentils go for around $1.50 per lb. at my local grocery store. When you cook them up with root veggies like potatoes, carrots, and celery, and serve them over rice they stretch even further to make a filling, flavorful, and super healthy meal. (Check out some other cheap recipes like Colombian Red Beans, Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas, Simple Lemon Chicken Pasta, and Sheet Pan Potatoes with Bacon and Asparagus!)

Comfort Food in a Bowl– Something about the creaminess of the lentils and the warmth of the cumin in this dish is so comforting and delicious! I look forward to eating this recipe over and over again!

Plant-Based/Meatless – Looking to expand your meatless recipe collection? Here is a meatless meal that is filling, flavorful, and delicious. Give it a try! Because recipes like this are filled with hearty veggies and delicious seasonings, you really don’t miss the meat.

Tips

• Dice your veggies fairly small. Since the lentils are small, you don’t want big chunks of veggies overpowering the taste and texture of the lentils.
• Add more water if needed. If the lentils are taking a little extra time to finish cooking, you may find that they need more water. Add in a little more to keep them from becoming too thick.
• Taste test the lentils with vegetables once they have finished cooking to see if you want to add more of the seasonings. Often times when cooking beans, peas, and lentils, you will need to add more seasonings at the end. That’s just how it usually goes!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried lentils, rinsed
• 1-2 garlic clove(s), minced
• 2 medium red potatoes, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2-3 tbsp. fresh curly parsley, minced
• 8 cups of filtered water + a little more if needed
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 large bay leaf or 2 small bay leaves
• extra virgin olive oil, drizzle
• 1 fresh medium tomato, diced

Ways to Enjoy Lentils with Vegetables and Cumin

My favorite way to enjoy lentils with vegetables is over basmati rice with garnishes like fresh diced tomato, sea salt, hummus, or tahini. You can get creative and top your lentil bowls with all your favorite Mediterranean flavors.

Instead of serving over rice, you could also enjoy these lentils with flatbreads or pitas. Or serve as a side dish to any meat like chicken or fish.

How to Make Lentils with Vegetables and Cumin

Start by rinsing and draining 1 lb. of dried lentils.

Dice the red potatoes, carrots, and celery. Mince the parsley and garlic.

Over medium heat, saute the minced garlic with a drizzle of olive oil until it starts to brown lightly and become aromatic. Add in the diced potatoes, carrots, and celery, and saute until starting to lightly brown.

Stir in the dried lentils and the parsley. Add in 8 cups of filtered water.

Season with sea salt, white pepper, onion powder, cumin, and a bay leaf.

Bring the lentils to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium, cover with a lid, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are completely tender but still holding their shape.

*NOTE- During the cooking time, you may find you need to add a little more water to keep the lentils from becoming too thick. This is up to your preference of how thick or thin you would like the lentils to be.

Once cooked through, turn off the heat. Taste test to determine if you want to add any more seasoning (often times when cooking beans and lentils you need to add a little more seasoning at the end…especially salt).

You can either stir in the fresh diced tomato into the whole pot or save it for garnishing each portion.

Serve these delicious, aromatic lentils with vegetables over basmati rice or quinoa. Enjoy as is or garnish with ingredients like more minced parsley, tahini, lemon juice, or olives.

Enjoy 🙂

Looking for More Cheap and Delicious Recipes?

• The BEST Colombian Red Beans
• Simple Lemon Chicken Pasta
• Crispy Chicken Thighs with Sourdough Bread Stuffing
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Chicken
• How to make Egg Salad
• Easy Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

Hey! I’m so glad you’re here. Give this recipe 5 stars if you try it and love it!

Wherever you find yourself today…take time to nourish yourself — body, mind, and soul <3

Warmly, Caroline