This easy, healthy lentil and vegetable skillet is packed with fiber and plant-based protein. With less than 10 ingredients, and 45 (or less!) minutes from start to finish, this is the perfect healthy, quick, and easy recipe. Plus, it’s vegan, plant-based, high fiber, and gluten-free!
We’ve all had more than our share of those crazy nights when the last thing you want to do is spend over an hour in the kitchen making supper. What if I told you that you could make a delicious, healthy supper in 45 minutes or less? What if I also told you that it has less than 10 ingredients, and that most of them are probably already in your kitchen? My lentil and vegetable skillet is arguably one of the easiest, high fiber, vegan, plant-based, gluten-free dishes you could make. Feeling inspired yet?
I’m pretty confident that this is one of the easiest, healthy suppers you can make. Why am I so confident? Because I developed this recipe during my dietetic internship (literally one of the busiest times in my life)! This recipe uses lentils, which are one of my all-time favorite plant-based protein powerhouses. One cup of cooked lentils packs an impressive 18 grams of protein and 16 grams of fiber! Not to mention over 10% of your daily needs for magnesium, Vitamin B6, and iron. And, one of my favorite things as a broke intern, they’re super affordable! Plus, you can buy lentils practically anywhere now (even stores like Target). You can usually find them next to the dried beans. Oh, and did I mention that they don’t need to be pre-soaked before cooking?? All you have to do is give them a quick rinse to remove any dust or debris in the package.
Once your lentils are rinsed off, simply add them and a few cups of water to a saucepan and bring them up to a boil. Then, cover them, reduce the heat to low, and let them simmer for about 15-20 minutes. When they’re cooked they’ll swell a little bit and the sides will split open slightly (if you look closely, you’ll be able to see this in the picture below). You can also pull a couple out and test them with a fork to see if they’re tender. For this recipe, you’ll want to cool them before adding them to the skillet. You can run them under cool running water, or make them ahead of time and store them in the fridge until the last step of this recipe.
While your lentils are simmering, cut up all your veggies. I wrote this recipe using vegetables that I generally have on hand, but you can use whichever vegetables you prefer instead. For faster cooking, cut up your veggies a little smaller. I prefer them to be a little bigger than the lentils to provide some extra texture and variety. Remember that you can use the stalk of your broccoli too to add a little extra fiber and texture (and reduce food waste)!
Once all of your vegetables are ready to go, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in your skillet. Then, add your minced garlic and saute until it’s fragrant (less than 30 seconds). Then, add in your carrots and onion and saute until slightly tender, generally about 5-7 minutes. For this recipe, it’s really important not to overcook your vegetables or the whole dish will have a mushy texture. Lentils are pretty soft when cooked, so the vegetables are providing the majority of the texture for this dish.
Once your onions are translucent and your carrots are a little soft add in the broccoli. Saute the whole mixture for another 3-5 minutes, or until all the veggies are tender.
Once your vegetables are cooked, add in your cooled cooked lentils, soy sauce, and black pepper. Saute everything for another minute or two to allow the lentils to reheat. You’ll want to be a little gentler with your sauteing once the lentils are added. Cooked lentils have a pretty soft texture, so they’ll mush if handled too roughly.
And that’s all there is to it! Serve immediately for best results, and refrigerate any leftovers promptly. Another huge perk of this recipe is that the leftovers still taste great and reheat really nicely. Just make sure to enjoy any leftovers within 3-5 days.
If you liked this recipe, please be sure to share it with your friends and family. You can also leave me a review in the comments below! You can also tag me on social media with your soup creation at @HookomOnHealth, or use the hashtag #HookomOnHealth. I’d love to see how you’re enjoying this recipe!
Lentil + Vegetable Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup dry lentils rinsed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 head broccoli chopped
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring water and rinsed lentils to boil in medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Once lentils are cooked, drain any excess water and rinse cooked lentils in cool running water until cooled.
- Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add onion and carrots and saute until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add broccoli and saute until slightly softened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Once vegetables are tender, add cooled cooked lentils, soy sauce, and pepper and saute until lentils are reheated, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Video
Notes
- Make sure lentils are cooled before adding them to the skillet, or they won't hold their texture and will get mushy.
- Other vegetables can be added or swapped as desired or based on availability.
- To ensure recipe is gluten-free, make sure your soy sauce is certified gluten-free.
- For even faster prep time you can use frozen mixed vegetables instead of fresh vegetables. Note that cook times will be be shorter as well.