Quick Sautéed Lentil Bowl with Hummus and Chili Oil
Lentils sautéed with onion, garlic and cumin for the perfect quick lentil bowl. Paired with hummus and chili oil for the ultimate experience.
One of my go to meals when I was in college was lentils and onions. A quick sauté of onions that I would then sauté together with some cooked lentils and serve over rice. If I was lucky enough, I’d serve with some of my favorite garlic hummus. And more recently, I’ve become a big fan of drizzling this all with chili oil for some extra spice and flavor.
Regardless of how you enjoy your lentils, this is one preparation you do not want to gloss over.
Why You’ll Love This Simple Recipe
- It’s ridiculously easy to put together, but surprisingly flavorful and satisfying!
- Can be prepped for easy meals throughout the week.
- This recipe is vegan, gluten-free and nut-free, so a great option for anyone dealing with allergies.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Lentils: I recommend sticking to using small green, brown, black or French style lentils. They tend to hold their shape better when cooking. You can also use canned lentils, just make sure to rinse and drain really well.
- Onions: Any variety will do, but I tend to really like red onions and find that they taste just a little more sweet, which I enjoy as a balance to some of the savory flavors in this dish.
- Seasonings: Cumin seed, coriander, red pepper flakes and thyme are the simple ones to use to help spice this dish up.
- Veggies: To keep it super simple I love stirring in some spinach at the end to wilt, but things like sliced zucchini or bell pepper also work great for sautéing with the onions.
- Garlic: Fresh is best and totally up to you if you wish to thinly slice or crush into this dish.
How to Make This Quick Lentil Bowl
Prep your lentils and rice. If prepped correctly, they should cook up really quick.
- Green/Brown Lentils: I find tend to cook in about 15-17 minutes for me.
- White Rice: Cooks the fastest and generally cooks for me in 13 minutes on the stove top.
Once your lentils are tender, strain out any excess cooking liquid and set aside.
Toast your cumin seeds in a pan until fragrant then add in your onions and get them nice and soft. Add a splash of water as needed to deglaze the pan. Optional, but if using a vegetable like zucchini or bell pepper, you can add that in as the onions are softening.
Add your garlic and remaining seasonings to the pan and sauté again until fragrant. Add the remaining oil to the pan and add in your cooked lentils and sauté for a few minutes to get them coated.
Smear some hummus on a plate and top with the cooked lentils, then drizzle with chili oil to finish.
Tips for Delicious Lentils
- Don’t overcook your lentils. Make sure to pay attention to the lentils as they cook and follow package instructions for cooking. At the 15 minute mark of cooking, check and test to see if they are cooked through. If they are al dente, drain any excess liquid in the pan and set them aside until needed or continue cooking until just tender.
- Lentil cook time will depend on the variety you are using. I do recommend sticking to small green, brown, black or French lentils as they tend to hold their shape, which makes them great for sautéing. Avoid using red lentils for this dish as they are too mushy.
- To save time, use your favorite store bought hummus to add your lentils to. Feel free to also make a homemade hummus if you want the best flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can enjoy either way. I love when the lentils are warm and served over the cooler hummus with warm rice on the side, but the lentils can also be served cold as well. For an entire cold prep meal, serve the lentils and hummus along with some quinoa in place of rice.
This meal is a great meal prep option for the week. I like to prepare my lentils, rice and hummus and keep in the fridge in separate containers for up to 5 days. When I am ready to meal prep for the week, I take portions of these 3 options to create unique meals. I may just serve the lentils, rice and hummus together as one meal, wrap in a burrito with some extra greens, stuff in a pita, or use to top a salad bowl with a drizzle of some hummus that I thin out with a little water to make dressing.
Yes! I love using canned or jarred lentils to help save time when I can’t cook the lentils myself. Just make sure to rinse and drain your lentils really well before using.
How to Serve
After making this dish so many times, my absolute favorite way to serve it is with a big smear of hummus on the bottom of my plate, then top the hummus with the lentils and a drizzle of chili oil. To make a complete meal I always serve with some rice that I cook while the lentils are cooking.
More Quick Lentil Recipes
- Sesame Miso Lentils
- Garlic Roasted Lentils and Tomatoes
- Lentil Kale Soup
- Marinated Lentil Chickpea Salad
- Golden Red Lentil Curry
Quick Sautéed Lentil Bowl with Hummus and Chili Oil
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Lentils sautéed with onion, garlic and cumin for the perfect quick lentil bowl. Paired with hummus and chili oil for the ultimate experience.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed well
- 3 cups water
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube or equivalent
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced or crushed
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced (or bell pepper)
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
- Cooked Rice
- Hummus, store bought or homemade
- Chili Oil
Instructions
- Add lentils to a large sauce pan with your water and bouillon cube. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender. For green lentils, cook for 15-17 minutes or until tender. If there is any remaining liquid, drain it off and then set the lentils aside until ready to use.
- As the lentils get closer to being done, warm a large skillet and then add in 1/2 a tablespoon of the oil to warm through. Add in the cumin seeds and red pepper flakes and sauté for about 1 minute to help toast the cumin.
- Add in the onions along with a sprinkle of salt and sauté until the onions have softened. Pour in a splash of water or vegetable broth as needed to deglaze the pan.
- To the pan, add in the garlic and coriander, stirring frequently for a minute until the garlic is fragrant. If using zucchini, add it in and sauté until the slices start to brown and soften.
- Add in the remaining oil, cooked lentils and thyme and continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes to properly coat the lentils. Once cooked, remove from heat and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, add a generous smear of hummus to your plate then top with the cooked lentils and a drizzle of chili oil. Serve with a side of rice to make the meal complete and enjoy.
Notes
Don’t overcook your lentils. Make sure to pay attention to the lentils as they cook and follow package instructions for cooking. At the 15 minute mark of cooking, check and test to see if they are cooked through. If they are al dente, drain any excess liquid in the pan and set them aside until needed or continue cooking until just tender.
Lentil cook time will depend on the variety you are using. I do recommend sticking to small green, brown, black or French lentils as they tend to hold their shape, which makes them great for sautéing. Avoid using cooked red lentils for this dish as they are too mushy.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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Easy, quick, & delicious!
The best kind of meals. Thank you so much Elisa. 🙂
Quick and easy (used canned lentils!). So delicious! I come back to this one again and again.
This totally made my day to hear! And yes love using canned lentils makes this come together so quickly! Thank you!
This was so simple and quick but packed a lot of flavor. This isn’t a combination I would think to put together myself, so thank you for introducing me to something new!
Makes me so incredibly happy to hear! Thank you so much Mara for making this. Truly means a lot. 🙂