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!
One Pot Green Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Kale
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:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 of 8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 196Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 659mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 8gSugar: 7gProtein: 10g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
Husband’s take: He likes to eat it cold with tortilla chips. Please keep in mind I am not endorsing this choice. I am only sharing the facts here.
Changes I would make: None!
Difficulty: Easy!
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!
26 Comments on “One Pot Green Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Kale”
I made this tonight. Absolutely delicious! It took about 45 minutes to cook lentils without pre-soaking. Will definitely make again.
So happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Our package of lentils also said to soak the lentils overnight. We soaked it for about 4 hours and your cook times still worked perfectly. We substituted apple cider vinegar for the wine since we don’t drink alcohol at home. The result was a little under seasoned for our palate so we added about 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce (a salty Chinese cooking staple) and it tasted great! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I bet it was great with oyster sauce! Glad you liked it, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Hello, I haven’t made this yet – I just read on the package of lentils that they need to be soaked overnight. This isn’t mentioned in the recipe so I’m curious if I actually need to soak them that long. Could you let me know. I’m really looking forward to making this but don’t want to make it incorrectly and end up with hard half-cooked lentils.
Hmm, I’ve never soaked my lentils so I don’t think it’s necessary, but it could be that you chose a different variety. Does the package indicate two methods, a quick cook (with soak) and a more traditional way? I’ve seen that, and if that’s the case, you won’t need to soak them. If that’s the general directions for any cooking method, I guess I’d probably soak them just to be sure. Let me know how it turns out!
I chose to make this tonight. I skipped the white wine and just used the chicken broth to deglaze, as we don’t cook with alcohol (alcoholism runs in the family very strongly).. it was delicious! Thank you for your recipe! Even my husband who doesnt eat much Kale & sweet potatoes enjoyed it!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
I made this recipe because I wanted a soup. I followed your recipe Rachel and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you.
So glad to hear you liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
For a little more umami I added 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. I topped it with yogurt and blue cheese crumbles. Very nice and really quick and easy.
Great idea! I can’t wait to try it with your additions. Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
The recipe lacked a savory note, maybe could have used a different spice blend to make it more appealing.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe! This is a favorite of a lot of people and I think the earthy lentils, onions, celery, parsley, thyme, and kale all add great savory elements. What would you add to it next time you made it? Maybe you’d like it with a sprinkle of cumin in the spices, or a dash of hot sauce on the top.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and absolutely love it. I recently started weight watchers and I’ve calculated a serving is only 3 points! This meal feels like an indulgence not healthy food.
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, it means a lot to me! :) Good luck with WW!
Just made this and I’ve been eating it all week. Cannot get enough! My mother, husband and son also loved it! This is a keeper, for sure.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know!
My boys would love this healthy and delicious recipe!
I have such a love-hate relationship with lentils. The first time I tried them they were plain and a bit too earthy for me BUT then I tried them with spice and I was hooked! I love the addition of sweet potatoes and kale in this delicious side dish or meatless meal!
Oh they are so good! But they definitely need to be prepared the right way. :) You would love the red lentil soup too.
I didn’t realize there were multiple varieties of lentils, but with how many delicious-sounding recipes you just listed that you’ve used them in, I’m itching to get my hands on some of the different options and start cooking! And with how much my family loves both sweet potatoes and kale (my mom eats kale salad almost every day!), your healthy vegetarian meal would definitely be a huge hit. :)
Yes you have to try all the varieties! Hope your family loves this meal. :)
When I was a kid I used to hate lentils, I’m so glad I got over that because this one pot meal looks fantastic! I feel healthier just looking at it. :-)
Ben and I love lentils – we do come from the land of lentils in Eastern Washington, so there is never a shortage. But this is one heck of a way to use them!!
What an awesome, healthy meatless Monday idea!