Creamy Spinach Lentils? Just celery, carrots, and onions – thyme, cream and spinach – a hearty potato-thickened broth base – and plain brown lentils cooked to perfection.
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Just made this, so many wonderful flavors! It’s great on its own without the vinegar and oil but that also adds such a great touch. Thank you for the recipe!!
Oh, for the love of that humble little lentil.
They’re cheap, they’re adaptable to any recipe, they’re easy to make and store, and they are considered a power food that is somehow the nutritional fountain of youth. Not complaining, yo. To reiterate the bottom line (even though we already knew it): lentils are pure gold.
These affordable little nuggets of nutrition make for some pretty awesome curries and veggie burgers, but today we’re getting back to the basics.
I know it sounds pretty simple and humble and peasant-like, and that’s because it is. It is a bunch of regular, ho-hum ingredients slow simmered to perfection with all these classic flavors and textures to make a bowl full of creamy, comforting lentils that is rock-your-world yummy.
I am hesitant to announce this on the blog, but I’m going to do it anyways because we are trusting internet-food-blog friends who share things with each other. Right? Errr, something like that.
Sooo…Bjork and I are considering adopting a dog.
By considering, I guess I mean that we have completed our application, had our home visit approved, and are now waiting to meet one particular sweet little girl (at least let’s hope she’s sweet? ohmygosh, what if she’s actually crazy?) to determine if she’s right for us and if we’re right for her.
The little girl we’re going to meet is a one-year-old Beagle mix — wait, tell me all your Beagle horror stories right now. KIDDING, don’t slash we’ve probably already heard them — and (I can’t even believe I’m saying this) according to her bio online, she is very mellow, non-barky, and house and crate trained. And you guys, she likes car rides. Um, what? She likes car rides? Is that not the cutest thing ever? We’re 100% mature about this whole process.
Seriously though, I AM trying to develop my dog adoption maturity by getting informed. After years of following along as a superfan from a distance, in the last few weeks I’ve stayed extra close by Cesar Milan’s side for moral support and pack leader guidance. How incredible is this dog whisperer of a man? TRAIN ME, Cesar.
All of a sudden I feel sort of shy and nervous about sharing this. Will you judge us if we meet her and find out that she’s not the right fit for us? Will you say I TOLD YOU SO if she becomes a wild maniac of a dog once we bring her home? Will she actually like car rides?!?! Meep.
Being that you – yes, you, awesome readers – always been so generous in sharing life experiences with us, your dog adoption feedback would be appreciated. Gentle feedback. Gentle, non-judgy, patient feedback for us dog newbies. Like you always do. ♡
Alright, enough bla bla bla about boring stuff like dog adoptions and let’s get back to the interesting topic of little brown beans.
This creamy spinach lentil recipe is almost just too perfect for these last few chilly days of spring. Thick and satisfying with really mellow, warm, earthy flavors, plus drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar because Jamie Oliver says you’ll like the twang (twang! haha. twang.) –> pretty sure these rustic creamy spinach lentils are about to bear hug your lentil-loving soul.
Easily, they are some of the best lentils I’ve ever made.
And you guys. I’ve made A LOT OF LENTILS.
One-Pot Creamy Spinach Lentils
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
One-Pot Creamy Spinach Lentils – SO GOOD! Made with lots of veggies and a potato-thickened broth base to hold it all together.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, oil, or (wait for it) bacon grease
- half a yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 sticks celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups uncooked lentils, rinsed
- 2 medium Yukon potatoes, chopped (about 1 cup total)
- 4 cups chicken broth (plan to add a few more cups as needed while cooking)
- 1 bay leaf
- a few sprigs fresh parsley
- a few springs fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 3–4 cups packed fresh baby spinach
- salt and pepper to taste (be generous with the salt!)
- olive oil and red wine vinegar for topping
Instructions
- Heat the bacon grease (that’s what I used) over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Saute for 10 minutes until the vegetables are nice and roasty and fragrant. Add the wine slowly – it should give a little sizzle and get all the browned bits off the bottom.
- Add the lentils, potatoes, and broth. Tie the bay leaf, parsley, and thyme together and toss in the pot (the reason for tying is so you can easily remove them at the end – I actually wrapped mine up in a stalk of celery so it would be contained a bit better). Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more broth as necessary so the lentils are just barely covered in liquid. When the lentils and potatoes are soft, gently mash the potatoes against the side of the pot with the back of the wooden spoon to make the mixture creamy.
- Remove the tied herbs; add the half and half and spinach. Stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper (season, taste, adjust, repeat). Serve each serving with a drizzle of good olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar, per Jamie Oliver’s (and my) recommendation.
Notes
The cooking length for the lentils (and the amount of liquid you need) will partially depend on how old your lentils are. Mine have been around for a while… so they took about 6-7 cups of broth over about 45 minutes of cooking time. Just play it by ear and do what feels right if it looks like it needs more liquid and more time.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: spinach and lentils, lentil recipe, one pot dinner, vegetarian recipe
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our delicious lentil recipes page. Check it out!
This sounds so yummy! Could it be adapted for a slow cooker or instapot? I work 50 hrs/week and take 13 college credits…
A wonderful, cozy, healthy meal that is pure comfort food. I doubled the wine (because I’m that kind of girl), added minced garlic and 2 extra potatoes. Needed 7 cups of stock. I served it with corn bread.
The fam loved it!! Thank you for another winning recipe.
I’ve been eating really poorly for the past few days and when I saw this online it called to me. I wasn’t disappointed. I substituted green apple for celery and coconut cream for half and half. Because that’s what I had. Yum. Thank-you
Where are the reviews of the recipe, as opposed to the reviews of the dog???
What is half and half please?
we tried this recipe last night and it was amazing!! i’ve made lentils countless times but never thought to add cream. we didn’t have half and half so i used a bit of heavy cream. my husband loved it too. absolutely outstanding recipe. thank you!
This recipe is divine! I used the leftovers to make pasties with some puff pastry….YUM!
Great idea!
The reviews on here should be about the food. Not about someone’s dogs. Sorry but I want to know how the recipe turned out for others. I couldn’t care less what others think about someone’s dog.
Made this last night for the first time, and we all loved it! Very flavorful! I used unsweetened cashew milk in place of the half and half because that’s what I had and we like to keep dairy to a minimum. I wanted to know if this can be frozen?
Hey! Thanks for the recipe! But you didn’t leave instructions for the half and half…currently making and don’t know what to do!
You can find instructions for the half and half in step 3. 🙂
Can I use red lentils?
Hi, Lana! We’d really recommend brown or green lentils here.
Sour and boring
Hi,
What is „half and half”?
Thanks
Great post! I love lentils too! Trying this recipe today and cannot wait to make it👍. Happy New Year!!!!
Just made this, so many wonderful flavors! It’s great on its own without the vinegar and oil but that also adds such a great touch. Thank you for the recipe!!
Having made this, I now understand why most of the comments are about dogs. Dogs are great; the recipe is just okay. And it makes A LOT. Unless you are cooking for many people (we are just 2), I suggest cutting the recipe in half. Otherwise, you will be eating just okay lentils for days or throwing food away.
My husband and I are huge lentil fans, but this is by far our favorite way to eat them. My husband will ask for “The Lentils” and I know exactly what he means. I love the suggestion of drizzling red wine vinegar and olive oil on top. A perfect finish to the dish!
I have had three dogs from a home for stray dogs, starting in 1992. And they have all been fantastic dogs. I have Snar now, a 10 year old schaeffer/golden retriever lady. My advice to you: Lots of love and consequence. I wish you the best of luck.
I just made this for supper and am currently eating it and WOW! It is totally not what I was expecting in the most wonderful way. It’s actually really funny because our pastor on Sunday spoke on the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew, and mentioned that Esau made a pretty lousy deal. But to completely honest, if this was the lentil stew he traded his birthright for, I’d say he made a pretty good deal.
Thanks for the tasty and nourishing dish! 🙂
what is half and half?
I want to use this recipe with my clients. Have you ever made it with full fat coconut milk? I need a dairy free option. I can’t imagine it would be anything but delicious!
We haven’t, but think that would be awesome!
Absolutely love this soup! Have made this several times and wouldn’t make any changes. This recipe even convinced my husband to like lentils lol
This looks awesome! I went on a healthy yoga retreat a while back that was all-lentils all-the-time for every meal (no joke – hello morning lentil cake). First there was enthusiasm: “Lentils!” Then there was surprise: “Oh. Lentils?”. Then frustration: “Uuugh, lentils.” And finally, acceptance: “Ok: lentils.” And weirdly, now that I’ve been back a while, I’ve developed an odd craving for the little guys and was delighted to find your recipe. I do have a question though: what kind of lentils do you use? All the lentils I’ve ever made require 7-15 min tops to cook (except black, aka “beluga” lentils, which look totally different from your pics), so I’m curious what kind of lentil you used for this dish. I suppose I could add my lentils at the very end, but I always like to make recipes as-written my first time out. Thank you again for sharing your lovely recipe 🙂
Omg, here I am reading this in 2017 and seeing you talk with excitement and nerves about SAGE! She seems like she’s been in your and Bjork’s little family forever, it’s so sweet to read this note from before you met her <3
Oh, the recipe looks pretty good too 😉
What is half and half
Hi Sue! Half and half is equal parts milk and cream. If you live in the U.S., you can usually find it in most grocery stores!