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!
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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
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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! 🤤
Great recipe. Used canned lentils instead of dry. The sauce was very watery but addition of corn starch solved the problem. Will definitely make this again.
Recipe was a hit with my family! Didn’t have sage on handbso I added more thyme. Served it over mashed potatoes. Definitely comfort food.
Made this with two 14 oz cans of pre-cooked lentils because I couldn’t find the right kind of uncooked lentils. I should have added less stock because it didn’t thicken up the same way yours did, so I cheated and added a tiny bit of cornflour/water mixture right at the end to thicken it into a gravy. The flavours are incredible, we had it over mashed potatoes and I went back for seconds.
Does this have a sweet flavor because of the coconut milk?
The coconut milk is unsweetened, so there is not a lot of sweet.
Absolutely delicious! Thanks Beth. I didn’t change a thing.
This looks amazing! Could I sub barley for the lentils do you think?
I don’t think that would be an equal swap sorry!
Do you use full fat Coconut milk?
Yes full fat canned coconut milk.
Is there something else non dairy I could use instead of coconut milk? I have a coconut allergy.
You could try an oat milk or macadamia but they’re not as thick or creamy unfortunately.
I’m not vegan and don’t have coconut milk. Would this work better with dairy milk or cream?
Yes you could certainly try it with heavy cream in lieu of the coconut milk.
I was so pleasantly surprised by these flavors! I would never have put sage with coconut milk but everything worked incredibly well. My only changes were adding a chopped yellow onion and 12 ounces of mushrooms instead of 8. Turned out great. I served over roasted potatoes.
This recipe has quickly earned a spot in my regular rotation. The first time I made it, however, I found it to be a little bland. The next time, and every time since, I’ve ~doubled the herbs and added some red wine vinegar in the last few minutes of cooking, after the coconut milk has been added. Magnifique!
I’ve had it over mashed potatoes and rice and have been wanting to find some vegan “egg” noodles. The former two have been fantastic, both.
This is an outstanding recipe. Great mix of flavors, we put it over spaghetti squash.
Made it per recipe, and salted at the end. So so good
Amazing!! I did add an onion since we had a few in our fridge but I can’t believe how great this turned out. We served it over mashed potatoes and my 3 year old (who “doesn’t like” mushrooms) inhaled it.
Excellent vegetarian comfort food. I’m not a big fan of coconut, so I substituted with HWC, and it turned out great. I also doubled the amount of mushrooms because more is always better.
This was so good, it would be a great vegan replacement for beef stroganoff, that’s kind of what it reminded me of. I served it over rice. Will make it again. Took a bit longer than the recipe said to cook the lentils.