One Pot Green Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Kale

One Pot Green Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Kale is a hearty vegetarian meal – easy to make and packed with nutrition and flavor. This is sure to become a favorite!

When I think lentils, my mind automatically goes to delicious health food. Lentils are a versatile powerhouse and so tasty. Did you know that there are different varieties of lentils? They’re usually classified by color and each variety has unique properties and taste quite different.

I love using red lentils to make a smooth, comforting red lentil soup. Brown lentils are the base for this delicious lentil soup with pasta. My go-to use of green (or French) lentils has always been in salads because they hold their shape well and stand strong in a salad. I love lentil salad with grapes and walnuts, or this lentil salad full of feta and bright, fresh flavors. Brown or green lentils also make a great stand-in for meat, like they do in my vegan bolognese. Try lentils in your next main course salad like this broccoli tabbouleh with lentils.

I partnered with Bob’s Red Mill for this recipe, using their green lentils. These lentils boast a hearty 18 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein per serving. And surprisingly, they provide 25% of your daily value of iron.

Lentils are a great meat substitute and you won’t miss the meat at all in this recipe. I also throw in a little bulgur for good measure. It adds another layer of texture as well as additional protein, fiber, and iron.

French green lentils are so beautiful and they have a really great peppery, earthy flavor. They can be used in salads, soups, and stews like this easy one pot lentil recipe. Perfect for meatless Mondays (or any day of the week!), this is a healthy comfort food recipe.

It’s also a great back-to-school weeknight meal because you only have to wash one pan. ONE! Pretty much a mom’s dream come true. Prep the carrots, celery and onions the night before and have them waiting in your fridge to make this recipe even easier and quicker when you get home from work or sports games or whatever you may have going on.

I use baby kale for a good dose of greens in these one pot green lentils but if you don’t have baby kale on hand, you could use spinach or chopped curly or lacinato kale.

Top this recipe with a little plain yogurt, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a good sprinkle of fresh parsley. It’s a very hearty dish and those three toppings add the brightness and acidity it needs.

Serve this green lentil stew with herbed cornbread muffins or pumpkin cheddar muffins. 

Enjoy!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: One Pot Green Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Kale

4.3 from 54 votes

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

8 servings

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One Pot Green Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Kale are a hearty vegetarian meal – easy to make and packed with nutrition and flavor, these are sure to become a favorite!

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup diced yellow or sweet onion (about half a large onion)
• ▢ 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 carrots)
• ▢ 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (more to taste)
• ▢ 1 garlic clove, minced
• ▢ ½ cup dry white wine
• ▢ 2 cups uncooked Bob’s Red Mill Green lentils, rinsed
• ▢ 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Golden Bulgur
• ▢ 1 large sweet potato, chopped (about 2 heaping cups)
• ▢ 4 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you want it to be vegetarian)
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• ▢ 4 cups packed fresh baby kale (about a 5 ounce container)
• ▢ 1/2 lemon, juiced (more as desired)
• ▢ Plain greek yogurt
• ▢ Additional fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to soften and onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute or until fragrant.
• Add the wine and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until wine has reduced by about half.
• Add lentils, bulgur, sweet potato, broth, parsley, and thyme, and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium-low to simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Add more water during the cooking process as needed (I needed to add two cups) to keep the lentils just barely covered with liquid.
• Add baby kale and cover for 1-2 minutes. Uncover, stir, and repeat as needed until kale is wilted. Sprinkle in lemon juice and stir to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve garnished with plain yogurt and fresh parsley.
• Store leftovers covered in fridge for up to a week.

Notes

This would be a great recipe to meal prep on the weekends and keep in the fridge for healthy eating all week long!

Use low sodium or no salt added chicken broth to reduce sodium content.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1of 8, Calories: 196kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 659mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 7g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Bob’s Red Mill as a brand ambassador to bring you this post. They compensated me for my time but all opinions are, as always, my own. If you opened my cupboards and fridge, you’d find a wealth of Bob’s Red Mill products that I purchased myself. Thanks for supporting Rachel Cooks by reading about brands I use and love!

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