✨ Newdinner
Baked Cod with Lentils
Flaky baked cod over a bed of French-style green lentils.
⏱ 40 min🔥 430 kcalMedium
★4.8(1,600)
🇫🇷
French Lentils Recipes
3 recipes using lentils — Classic French techniques and the mother of world cuisine.
These 3 french lentils recipes are ready in about 48 minutes on average, with 430–520 kcal per serving, and 67% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
3
recipes
48 min
average time
477 kcal
avg per serving
67%
easy recipes
How French cuisine cooks with lentils
French technique is the grammar of Western cooking: careful browning, patient sauces and precise seasoning turn humble ingredients into something refined. When French cooks work with lentils, they reach for butter, shallots, white wine, thyme, cream and Dijon mustard, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, boiling, baking and poaching.
Quick-cooking pulses that bring earthy heartiness and plant protein to soups, dals, stews and salads. In this collection it's most often cooked with dijon mustard, onion, garlic, fresh thyme and olive oil. The dishes here span french classics ready in as little as 40 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Baked Cod with Lentils is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.8★ from 1,600 ratings.
3 French Lentils Recipes
✨ Newlunch
Riz aux Lentilles et Saucisse (French Rice with Lentils and Sausage)
A rustic French bowl of rice and green lentils simmered with smoked sausage, a filling countryside lunch from central France.
⏱ 50 min🔥 520 kcalEasy
★4.2(21)
✨ Newdinner
French Lentilles du Puy with Smoked Sausage
French green lentils simmered with smoky sausage, carrots and thyme, a classic bistro comfort dish.
⏱ 55 min🔥 480 kcalEasy
★4.7(55)
Choosing & preparing lentils
How to choose
Choose by type: red/yellow lentils break down into creamy dals and soups; green and Puy lentils hold their shape for salads and sides. Look for whole, unbroken, uniform pulses.
Prep & storage
No soaking needed — just rinse and pick out any stones. Add salt and acid towards the end, since early acidity can keep them firm; aromatics in the cooking water build flavour from the start.
Nutrition
An excellent source of plant protein, fibre, iron and folate, with a low glycaemic impact that keeps you full.
Classic flavour partners: cumin, garlic, onion, ginger, tomatoes, spinach
French Lentils Recipes — FAQ
How long do French lentils recipes take to make?
Most of these 3 French lentils recipes are ready in around 48 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Baked Cod with Lentils, takes about 40 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 55 minutes.
How many calories are in French lentils dishes?
Across this collection they range from about 430 to 520 kcal per serving, averaging 477 kcal — Baked Cod with Lentils is the lightest option at 430 kcal.
What is the easiest French lentils recipe for beginners?
Riz aux Lentilles et Saucisse (French Rice with Lentils and Sausage) is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 50 minutes. 67% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
What goes well with lentils in French cooking?
In these recipes, lentils is most often paired with dijon mustard, onion, garlic, fresh thyme and olive oil. French kitchens also lean on butter, shallots, white wine, thyme, cream and Dijon mustard.
More French Recipes by Ingredient
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