CHEFFIFY

3 recipes · 21 Oct 2026

What to make with lentils

A bag of lentils is cheap, filling and keeps for a year. Three vegan dinners: a creamy dahl, a hearty stew and a fresh salad.

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Your first recipe is free. No account needed.

Red lentils cook down to a creamy dal in 20 minutes. Green and brown lentils hold their shape, so they work as a mince swap or in a salad. Neither needs soaking.

All three recipes are vegan, and Cheffify checked each one against that. Each started from a different cupboard and fridge.

Creamy Coconut Red Lentil Dahl
AI-generated photo. Your dish will look a little different.

Creamy Coconut Red Lentil Dahl

  • 35 min
  • Serves 4
  • 380 kcal a serving
  • Easy
  • Indian-inspired
  • Vegan

A comforting, protein-packed one-pot meal that balances earthy lentils with the richness of coconut milk and the sweetness of carrots.

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Made with Cheffify’s AI from these ingredients

In the fridge red lentils, canned tomatoes, onion, carrots, ground cumin, spinach, coconut milk

Used from the fridge
red lentilscanned tomatoesonioncarrotsground cuminspinachcoconut milk
Worth buying (optional)
  • + fresh lime adds a bright acidic finish
  • + fresh cilantro adds fresh herbal notes
From the pantry
saltblack peppercooking oilgarlicvegetable stock cubeturmeric

Ingredients

  • 250g red lentils
  • 400g canned tomatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 150g spinach
  • 400ml coconut milk
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Allergens: none of the common ones in this ingredient list. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Calories
380 kcal
Protein
18 g
Carbs
55 g
Fat
12 g

Per serving, estimated by AI.

Method

  1. Finely dice the onion and peel and slice the carrots into small rounds. Mince the garlic.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots, cooking for about 5-7 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
  3. Add the garlic and ground cumin. Stir constantly for 1 minute until fragrant.
  4. Rinse the red lentils thoroughly in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear.
  5. Add the lentils, canned tomatoes (with their juices), and vegetable stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft and have absorbed most of the liquid.
  6. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for another 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  7. Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh spinach. The residual heat will wilt the leaves in about 1 minute.
  8. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge and reheat until steaming hot all the way through before serving again.

Tip If your dahl looks too thick after adding the coconut milk, just add a splash of water or more vegetable stock until you reach your preferred consistency.

Hearty Lentil and Vegetable Stew
AI-generated photo. Your dish will look a little different.

Hearty Lentil and Vegetable Stew

  • 45 min
  • Serves 4
  • 380 kcal a serving
  • Easy
  • Rustic Country
  • Vegan

A comforting, one-pot stew that highlights earthy mushrooms and tender lentils, perfect for a cozy dinner.

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Made with Cheffify’s AI from these ingredients

In the fridge green lentils, mushrooms, onion, carrots, potatoes, vegetable stock cube

Used from the fridge
green lentilsmushroomsonioncarrotspotatoesvegetable stock cube
Worth buying (optional)
  • + fresh thyme adds beautiful earthy aromatics
From the pantry
olive oilgarlicsaltblack pepperdried bay leaf

Ingredients

  • 250g green lentils
  • 300g mushrooms
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 3 medium potatoes
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Allergens: none of the common ones in this ingredient list. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Calories
380 kcal
Protein
18 g
Carbs
65 g
Fat
6 g

Per serving, estimated by AI.

Method

  1. Finely dice the onion, garlic, and carrots. Slice the mushrooms and cut the potatoes into bite-sized cubes.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and mushrooms. Sauté for about 8-10 minutes until the mushrooms are browned and the onions are soft.
  3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Stir in the potatoes and the dry green lentils.
  4. Dissolve the vegetable stock cube in 1 liter of boiling water. Pour this over the vegetables and lentils, adding a bay leaf if you have one.
  5. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down to low. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the lentils and potatoes are tender. If the stew gets too thick, add a splash more water.
  6. Taste and season with salt and plenty of black pepper before serving hot.

Tip To make the stew even richer, you can stir in a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice right at the end to brighten the earthy flavors.

Fresh Mediterranean Lentil Salad
AI-generated photo. Your dish will look a little different.

Fresh Mediterranean Lentil Salad

  • 10 min
  • Serves 2
  • 260 kcal a serving
  • Easy
  • Mediterranean
  • Vegan

A bright, refreshing, and protein-packed salad that comes together in minutes. It is a perfect light lunch that uses every ingredient you have on hand.

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Made with Cheffify’s AI from these ingredients

In the fridge canned lentils, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, lemon, parsley

Used from the fridge
canned lentilscucumbercherry tomatoesred onionlemonparsley
From the pantry
olive oilsaltblack pepper

Ingredients

  • 400g canned lentils
  • 1 cucumber
  • 200g cherry tomatoes
  • ¼ red onion
  • ½ lemon
  • ½ bunch parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Allergens: none of the common ones in this ingredient list. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Calories
260 kcal
Protein
11 g
Carbs
32 g
Fat
10 g

Per serving, estimated by AI.

Method

  1. Drain the canned lentils into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water until the water runs clear.
  2. Dice the cucumber into small cubes, halve the cherry tomatoes, and finely mince the red onion.
  3. Roughly chop the fresh parsley, discarding any thick, woody stems.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rinsed lentils, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and chopped parsley.
  5. In a small cup, whisk together the olive oil, the juice from the half lemon, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
  6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together gently until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Tip If you have a block of feta cheese in your fridge, crumbling it over the top adds a lovely creamy contrast, though it is delicious just as it is!

Swaps

Missing something, or cooking for a different diet? These work in the recipes above.

Canned lentils
Rinse and add them in the last 5 minutes of the dahl or the stew.
Yellow split peas
Use them for the dal; they take about twice as long.
Not vegan
Crumble feta over the salad, or mash the potatoes with butter and milk.

What to buy to finish it

Every recipe works with what it lists. These optional extras are what Cheffify suggested to lift each one.

Pantry basics these recipes assume

saltblack peppercooking oilgarlicvegetable stock cubeturmericolive oildried bay leaf

Good to know

  • Rinse lentils and pick out any small stones. Red, green and brown lentils need no soaking.
  • Simmer lentils gently rather than at a rolling boil, so they cook evenly without splitting.

Got something else?

Tell Cheffify what’s in your fridge. It picks what goes together, writes the recipe and tells you what it left out. Your first recipe is free, with no account needed.

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How these recipes were made

Each recipe started as the fridge list shown with it. Cheffify’s AI (the same Chef’s Pick you get in the app) chose what goes together and wrote the recipe on 21 Oct 2026, and an image model made the photo. We read every recipe before publishing, but they haven’t been tested in a test kitchen. Times and nutrition are estimates, and the allergen notes only cover the listed ingredients.

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