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!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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! 🤤
amazing recipe as is. it allows for customization very easy, I added onion, bacon and additional veggies.
i served with potato and cauliflower mash.
Not sure why, but sauce was nice and thick as simmered and then when i added the coconut milk it went very watery and did not re-thicken. I added a little flour and let it simmer and it re-thicken nicely. Not sure if just my type of coconut milk or something else.
But worth the effort to make.
Big, big fan of this recipe. I had already made the lentils in advance and I was nervous that it wouldn’t taste as good as the method in this recipe but I simply added some chicken broth concentrate (huge staple thanks to Trader Joe’s), and it was delicious. I ate it almost every day this week with some mashed potatoes. Definitely recommend this dish to be served with potatoes. They are so yummy together. However, my partner wasn’t a huge fan of this recipe…but he’s also less adventurous and a bit more picky, so give this one a try!
Fantastic recipe! I highly recommend this recipe for anyone looking for a “meaty” flavor and hearty dish without any actual meat.
We served it over mashed potatoes. Next time I think I’ll do it over rice for something different. Yum!
One of my favourite recipes from this website. Super flavourful and creamy.
We’ve had it over both rice and potatoes and it’s excellent both ways! If serving it over rice, I highly recommend serving it with a wedge of lime. The lime really amped up the flavor and brought it all together!
Would an onion lend itself well to this recipe? I’m making this tonight!
Yes, an onion would go nicely in this. :)
This is a recipe I’ll definitely be keeping on hand for the future! The ingredients on their own are average, but come together in a surprisingly wonderful and flavorful way. It’s also delightfully easy and quick to make–you can’t beat that.
This was delicious! I used fresh thyme & sage from the garden and green lentils. I followed the directions as is and the flavor is really nice. I will be adding this to my recipe collection.
Followed the recipe and added just a splash of apple cider vinegar like others have suggested and it was DELISH. I used red lentils as it was the only thing on hand and it came out a little soupier than expected, but flavor was still amazing. Trying another batch with slightly higher ratio of lentils to stock to hopefully achieve a thicker texture. Budget bytes never disappoints!
Super easy and quick! This tastes insanely good! I was surprised dried lentils cook in only 20 mins. LOVED!!!!
This was really good! I added a splash of ACV (as others suggested) at the end with a handful of spinach to get a veggie in….also kicked up the heat with a little cayenne pepper. Served over homemade mashed potatoes.
Soooo tasty! I added an 1/8 tsp onion powder and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Served it over homemade mashed potatoes and with a side of roasted broccoli…a new hit at our house. We can’t wait to eat the left overs! This is a keeper for sure!
Wonderful recipe! My husband asked me to make more meatless dinners and this dish is a real keeper. I went heavy on the thyme (1 tsp) and sage (heaping tsp). Served over whipped potatoes w/ your freezer garlic bread. A 10!
Really yummy recipe! I use sourdough bread for the carb to dip. Make this every few weeks or so.
This mushroom gravy turned out fantastic! I added some fresh rosemary and had to sub in beef broth for the veggie broth, as that was all I had on hand. I was a little worried about the coconut milk being too sweet, but found that it really pairs extremely well with the sage, and especially served with some homemade garlic rosemary bread. After adding the coconut milk, I had to boil it down for quite a long time to get it down to gravy consistency – but this is definitely going in the books as a recipe I’ll be making over and over again. Thank you so much for sharing!