Ever since I added coconut milk to my ramen broth, I haven’t been able to stop adding coconut milk to all of my savory saucy and brothy dishes. The creaminess of the coconut milk is unmatched, and pairs particularly well with the flavor of mushrooms. So I did it again this week with these Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy, which make a great easy weeknight dinner that you can eat almost like a stew with some crusty bread for dipping, or spoon it over a big bowl of mashed potatoes or rice. It’s hearty, creamy, and just right for cold winter nights!
Garnished with chopped parsley, for color.
What Kind of Lentils Should I Use?
I suggest using brown lentils for this recipe, which are quick-cooking (only requiring 20 minutes of simmering) and hold their shape. These lentils look kind of greenish-brown when dry and are sometimes labeled green lentils (not to be confused with French green lentils). If you’re unsure if you have the right kind of lentil, check the cooking instructions on the package. If they say to simmer for about 20 minutes, you’ve got the right kind of lentil.
Red or yellow lentils will break down and create more of a split pea soup textured dish, so I don’t suggest using them for this recipe.
What Kind of Mushrooms Should I use?
I used baby bella mushrooms because they’ve been available for a great price at Aldi lately, but white button mushrooms will work perfectly well and are often less expensive.
Meal Prep It!
These Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy make a great winter meal prep. They hold up perfectly in the refrigerator (for about four days) and also freeze well. You could freeze them right in the same container as your mashed potatoes or rice!
How to Serve Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy
As mentioned in the introduction, you can serve these creamy lentils as is with some bread for dipping, or spoon them over a bowl of mashed potatoes, rice, or even pasta!
Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy
Servings 4 About 1 cup eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.69)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 cup brown lentils ($0.50)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 3/4 tsp rubbed (dried) sage ($0.07)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 2 cups vegetable broth ($0.26)
- 1 13.5oz. can coconut milk ($1.99)
- salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp) ($0.02)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Add the olive oil and garlic to a large skillet and sauté for about one minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms have released all their moisture and begin to brown.
- Add the lentils, sage, thyme, freshly cracked pepper, and vegetable broth to the skillet with the mushrooms. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the skillet, let the broth come up to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the lentils simmer for 20 minutes (with lid), stirring occasionally.
- After simmering for 20 minutes, the lentils should be tender and most of the broth absorbed. Add the coconut milk, stir to combine, turn the heat back up to medium, and let the lentils simmer for about five more minutes (without lid), or until the mixture in the skillet has thickened to a gravy.
- Once the mixture has thickened, turn the heat off. Taste the mixture and add salt to your liking. I added about 1/2 tsp. The salt will help the herbal flavors pop and reduce the sweetness of the coconut milk.
- Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping or over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.
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Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
Shown with Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes and garnished with parsley for color.
How to Make Lentils with Creamy Mushroom Gravy – Step by Step Photos
Start by mincing two cloves of garlic and slicing 8 oz. mushrooms.
Add the minced garlic to a large skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté the garlic for about one minute, then add the sliced mushrooms.
Continue to sauté the mushrooms until all of their moisture evaporates and the mushrooms begin to brown.
Add 1 cup brown lentils, ½ tsp dried thyme, ¾ tsp rubbed sage, some freshly cracked black pepper, and 2 cups vegetable broth to the skillet. Stir to combine, then place a lid on the skillet and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the lentils simmer for 20 minutes (with lid), stirring occasionally.
After simmering for 20 minutes, the lentils should be tender and most of the broth absorbed. Add a 13.5 oz. can coconut milk and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium and let the mixture simmer for about five more minutes.
The mixture will thicken a bit more as it simmers and form a rich gravy. Once it has thickened slightly, turn off the heat. Give the lentils a taste and season with salt to your liking. I added about ½ tsp. Adding enough salt will help the flavors of the herbs pop and it will reduce the sweetness of the coconut milk.
You can serve the creamy mushroom lentils as-is with some bread for dipping…
Or spoon them over something starchy, like a big bowl of mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta! 🤤
This was delicious! I had to use beef broth (out of chicken or vegetable), but other than that followed recipe as-is and served over brown rice. Even my picky toddler devoured it, saying “Mmm” several times :)
Hooray! Great work Katie!
This recipe really impressed me once I added the coconut milk and the SALT. Absolutely delicious and healthy to boot. Thanks!
Happy to hear it!
This was good. I added some chopped cilantro at the end to make it a little more visually appealing to the kids, who were very not interested – but they love your gojuchang mushrooms enough to trust “that Beth lady”, and while they didn’t love it, they liked it well enough to eat it without complaints. Also it was a little mild for us, but a couple of shakes of Pepper Plant fixed that right up.
Wow! Perfect “rent week” recipe! I ended up using green lentils because that’s all I had, only added a few minutes and still held up quite well. I also used about 1/3 can of coconut milk to keep it lower cal. The rest was broth. Doubled the seasoning so it tasted so meaty and herby. Ended up using a little cornstarch in the end to thicken it to my likeness. Served over a baked potato. Very tasty and hardy while still remaining somewhat healthy. win win!
Love it! Thanks Carmela.
could I use almond milk instead of coconut milk? Curious if it would be too sweet using the coconut milk
You could use canned unsweetened.
This looks amazing! Do you think it would pair well with grits?
We haven’t paired it with grits, but I’d imagine it would be a savory pairing!
I will say, this doesn’t look the most appetizing, but the flavor is really great!! I don’t care for thyme so didn’t include it but added a bunch of fresh parsley at the end. Prepped it for a weeknight dinner and will pair it with polenta, mashed potatoes or quinoa. Thanks for the recipe!
Good food isn’t always pretty! Thanks Dawn!
OMG!!! In the season of winter holiday dishes, this simple recipe clocks in as equal in flavour and savoury-ness with that heavyweight contender: turkey dinner (with stuffing) but at a fraction of the cost, calories, or effort. Definitely worth risking a try if you’re hesitating! I ended up using chicken bullion since I had no vegetable left, and it still tasted divine – plus it makes the room smell equally appealing. Great dish to come home to in the chill!
Love this Catherine!
Another winner! I made this with the mashed potatoes posted recently and even my daughter who is “sick of mushrooms” devoured it 😊 I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. The coconut milk is creamy but not too coconutty in flavor. Perfect winter meal! Go Beth!
Hooray! Thanks for sharing Monica!
What kind of coconut milk did you use? I have a can of light in my pantry but I didn’t know if this should be full fat. Thanks!
This sounds delicious but, before I try it I’m hoping you will have the time to clarify what you mean by “rubbed” sage.
E.g. Are you using fresh or dried sage?
If it is dried then here in Australia we can buy either ‘ground’ (which is like fine crumbs) or ‘dried’, (which is like large flakes). Which would match best?
Or, if it is fresh then do you mean I should just rub it between my hands?
Hello, yes, sorry for the confusion. It’s dried sage, which is probably the same as your ground sage, but is labeled “rubbed sage” in the U.S. :)
The photo looked like you added some fresh herb to Lentils with Mushroom gravy before serving. What was it?
Hi Suelin, you can add some chopped up flat parsley or cilantro for that pop of color on top!
What substitution would you suggest if I can’t use coconut milk? Thank you!
Hi Mallory! You could just use regular cream if you’d like.
What can I use instead of coconut milk without losing value? Evaporated or sweetened condensed milk, maybe? My husband says he’ll eat anything vegetarian as long as it doesn’t have a coconut flavor but it shows up in so many vegetarian recipes that I want to try.
You could just use regular cream if you’d like Sandra. I wouldn’t use evap or sweetened condensed at all.
Hi there- how long could we hold it in the freezer for? “It’s A Great dish. Thank you!
Hi Claudia! You could store for six months up to a year!
I need to cook more with lentils in 2020!
Paige
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