20 Healthy Lentil Recipes + The International Year of Pulses

I love lentils—green, brown, red, Beluga, French green—in soups, stews, and salads, but these little legumes can also star in protein and fiber-filled tacos, “burgers,” and even desserts. These 20 healthy lentil recipes should get you well on your way to loving this petite pulse.

Now that it’s the International Year of Pulses, I’m kicking off the celebration with 20 healthy lentil recipes that everyone at your table will love. I chose lentils as my featured pulse because, well, I had to start somewhere!

{Graphic from Pulse Canada}

Pulses are regarded as nutritious seeds for a sustainable future. They are high in fiber and protein and low in fat, and they’re affordable and grown in a sustainable way.

A few spectacular resources for all things pulses that you may want to check out include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Pulses.org, and Cooking with Pulses. But don’t head there until you check out all the recipes below!

Lentil Alphabet Soup from Liz’s Healthy Table.

Pulses are the edible seeds of plants from the legume family, whose defining feature is pods. There are thousands of types of legumes (soybeans and peanuts, for example, are among them), but pulses only include crops harvested solely as dry seeds, and not for oil. The most common pulses consumed are dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas.

Lentil Stew from Rebecca at Foodie with Family. {Photo Credit: Rebecca Lindamood}

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps with Amazing Peanut Sauce from Heather at The Nutty Nutritionist.

Lentil Vegetable Soup from Lyssie and Tammy, The Nutrition Twins.

Lemony French Lentil and Arugula Soup from Lara at East End Nutrition.

Garden Lentil Bolognese from Ann at My Menu Pal.

Everyday Lentil Salad from Dixya at Food, Pleasure & Health. {Photo Credit: Dixya Bhattarai}

Chopped Sprout Salad with Mandarin Oranges from Danielle at Food Confidence.

Rosemary Lentils and Tomato Stuffed Peppers from Victoria at Simple Cravings. Real Food.

Sweet Cranberry and Apple Lentils from Amy Gorin.

Hearty Kale, Lentil and Sausage Soup from Jenny at My Cape Cod Kitchen.

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup with Frazzled Onions from Deanna at Teaspoon of Spice. {Photo Credit: Deanna Segrave-Daly}

Turkish Red Lentil Soup from Sally at Real Mom Nutrition.

Acorn Squash with Curried Lentils from Kara at The Foodie Dietitian.

Lentil Patties with Basil Arugula Cashew Cream from Sharon at The Plant-Powered Blog.

Slow Cooker Chickpea and Lentil Chili from Min at MJ and Hungryman. {Photo Credit: Min Kwon}

Red Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash, Coconut Milk, and Curry from Alice at UNL Food.

Slow Cooker Indian Tacos from Katie at Mom’s Kitchen Handbook.

Vegetarian Bolognese Over Polenta Cakes from Jessica at Nutritioulicious.

And last but certainly not least, a luscious dessert of Silky Chocolate Pudding from Catherine at Cuisinicity. {Photo Credit: Catherine Katz}

If you have a favorite lentil or other pulse recipe, let us know about it. We’ll be celebrating pulses all year long, so share away!