Creamy Marry Me Lentils: A Rich and Satisfying Dinner

Creamy “Marry Me” Lentils

By now you already know about marry me sauce. It is the silky, garlicky, sundried tomato cream sauce that made everyone fall for chicken, and I have been pouring it over everything else ever since. I made it with chickpeas, I made it with butter beans, and both were excellent. Lentils might be my favorite version yet.

This vegetarian dish pairs humble lentils with the viral creamy sundried tomato sauce, and the result is decadent and luxurious in a way a bag of lentils honestly has no business being.

Lentils are inexpensive, protein rich, and endlessly forgiving, which makes them the perfect canvas for a sauce this rich. It is vegetarian, it comes together in one pan once the lentils are cooked, and it tastes far more special than the ingredient list suggests.

Black lentils, also called beluga or caviar lentils, are my top pick here. They keep a firm, creamy, bean like texture that stands up to a bold sauce, and they have a proven affinity for rich cooking, as anyone who loves black dal makhani already knows.

Green lentils work well too. The pinky orange sauce also looks striking against those dark little lentils, which is a small joy I appreciate every single time I lift the lid off the pan.

Serve it scooped up with bread, spooned over rice, or piled onto a baked sweet potato. However you serve it, this is the kind of dinner that makes a Tuesday feel like a treat.

What to Know About the Ingredients

Lentil choice matters more here than you might expect. Black lentils hold their texture beautifully in the sauce, and Puy lentils, also called French or dark green lentils, are the next best option.

Brown and green lentils break down a little more as they cook, so the finished dish has a more uniform texture, but it is still delicious.

Red lentils are the one variety I would skip, because they turn to mush and the whole point of this dish is that creamy, distinct lentil bite.

I cook dried lentils in my Instant Pot because it is hands off and reliable, but canned or precooked lentils turn this into a genuine one pot recipe. That is the version I make on nights when I get home late and want dinner on the table fast.

For the sauce, look for sundried tomatoes jarred in herby oil. That oil is not just packaging, it is an ingredient, and you will use it to saute the onion, garlic, and spices. It brings a deep, savory backbone to the whole pan.

The spice trio is Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and fennel seeds. Lentils are mild on their own, so these spices do the heavy lifting, adding an umami quality that makes the sauce taste like it simmered for hours. Lemon wedges on the side are optional, but a squeeze at the table brightens everything up.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to serve these lentils is with fresh bread for scooping, plus a light, leafy, crispy salad on the side. Keep that salad simple, with no cheese and no beans, so it stays a fresh counterpoint to the rich sauce.

An easy vegetable side works beautifully too, like air fryer broccoli, and I skip the parmesan on the broccoli so it does not clash with the flavor of the sauce.

Over rice, this becomes a hearty bowl that stretches leftovers into lunches for the rest of the week. Spooned over baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, it turns into a cozy, filling dinner with almost no extra work.

You can also toss it with a short pasta shape such as shells or penne. Keep the sauce ratio high so every piece of pasta gets coated, and add a splash of stock if it tightens up too much.

For extra nutrition, stir chopped kale or spinach in at the very end, right along with the cream and cheese. Just heat it until the greens wilt and you are done.

More Tasty & Unique Lentil Recipes

If these creamy lentils win you over, here are a few more lentil ideas worth adding to your rotation.

Black Lentil Tacos

Black lentils make a wonderfully hearty taco filling, and they hold their shape well enough to feel substantial without turning mushy.

Warm your tortillas, pile on your favorite toppings, and dinner is ready.

Vegetarian Tortellini, Kale & Lentil Soup

A cozy bowl that brings together tender tortellini, hearty lentils, and ribbons of kale in a warming broth.

It is the kind of soup that eats like a full meal and reheats beautifully the next day.

Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper Casserole

All the flavors of stuffed peppers without the fuss of stuffing each one.

Lentils give it body and staying power, and it comes together as an easy, comforting bake for a busy evening.

Ingredients

Here is everything you need for six servings. Do not skip the oil from the sundried tomato jar, it is doing real work here.

• Oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes, for cooking
• 1 cup dry black, brown, or green lentils, or 2.5 cups cooked lentils, or 2 cans drained and rinsed
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 to 2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed, see the notes below
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups (480 ml) vegetable stock
• ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream, also called double cream
• 1 cup (100 g) parmesan, pecorino, or Italian hard cheese
• 1 bunch basil, chopped
• Lemon wedges, for squeezing, optional

Instructions

If you are cooking your lentils from dry, start that process before you prep anything else. They can simmer away while you gather the rest of the ingredients and build the sauce.

1. Cook the lentils. For black lentils in an Instant Pot, combine 1 cup of lentils with 1.75 cups of salted water and cook on HIGH for 9 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. On the stovetop, combine 1 cup of lentils with 3.5 cups of salted water and simmer for around 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft but still a little al dente.
2. Start the sauce. In a large, deep sided saute pan, heat a few tablespoons of the oil from your sundried tomato jar. Keep the heat low to medium, saute the onion until soft, then add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.
3. Bloom the spices. Add the fennel seeds and saute until the fragrance is released. Then quickly add a little extra oil along with the smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Saute for a few more moments with the heat low, until the spices smell toasty and are well distributed through the oil. Move on quickly here, because burnt spices will taste bitter.
4. Add the tomato. Stir in the tomato paste and the chopped sundried tomatoes and saute until everything is well mixed with the onion, garlic, spices, and oil. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside while you get the lentils ready.
5. Drain and rinse the lentils. Drain the cooked lentils, or the canned ones, in a sieve. The kind you use for icing sugar is ideal, because the holes in a pasta colander can be too large for lentils. Rinse until the water runs clear. This matters more than it sounds, since dark cooking water will muddy the color of your sauce.
6. Combine. Add the lentils to the pan and turn the heat back up. Mix everything through.
7. Simmer. Add the vegetable stock and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Start with the pan covered, then uncover it for the last couple of minutes. The sauce thickens as the lentils drink up some of the liquid.
8. Finish with cream and cheese. Stir in the cream, cheese, and basil over very low heat until the cheese has melted through and the basil has wilted into the sauce.
9. Rest and serve. Let the pan sit covered for 5 minutes so it can thicken, give it another stir, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.

A fine sieve, not a pasta colander, is the difference between a bright, pretty sauce and a muddy one. Rinse those lentils until the water runs clear.

Notes

The recipe originally called for 2 teaspoons of crushed fennel seeds. Some readers found that a little too strong, so if you are wary of the fennel flavor, use just 1 teaspoon or leave the fennel seeds out entirely. The dish still tastes wonderful either way.

Recipe details

Per serving, based on one sixth of the recipe: 378 calories, 29 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein, 23 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 9 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 605 mg sodium, and 45 mg cholesterol.

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Creamy “Marry Me” Lentils

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Creamy “Marry Me” Lentils By now you already know about marry me sauce. It is the silky, garlicky, sundried tomato cream sauce that made everyone fall for chicken, and I have been pouring it over everything else ever since.

• Total Time: 0 min
• Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients
oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes, for cooking
1 cup dry black, brown or green lentils
1 small red onion, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1–2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp tomato paste
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cups (480 ml) vegetable stock
¾ cup (180 ml) heavy (double) cream
1 cup (100 g) parmesan, pecorino or Italian hard cheese
1 bunch basil, chopped
lemon wedges, for squeezing

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Instructions

Instructions
1-If you’re cooking your lentils from dry,: If you’re cooking your lentils from dry, start this process before you even start prepping the other ingredients. They can cook while you gather, prep and start the sauce. For black lentils:Instant Pot: 1 cup of lentils + 1.75 cups of salted water, cook on HIGH for 9 minutes, followed by a natural release for 10 minutes. Stovetop: 1 cup of lentils + 3.5 cups of salted water. Simmer for around 20 minutes until soft, but a little al dente.
2-In a large, deep sided saute pan,: In a large, deep sided saute pan, heat a few tablespoons of the oil from your sundried tomato jar. Keeping the heat low-medium, saute the onions until soft and then add the garlic. Saute for another 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.
3-Add the fennel seeds and saute until: Add the fennel seeds and saute until the fragrance is released, then quickly add a little extra oil and the smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Saute for a few more moments (keeping the heat low) until the fragrance is released and the spices are well distributed through the oil. Move on quickly – we don’t want the spices to burn!
4-Add the tomato paste and sundried tomatoes: Add the tomato paste and sundried tomatoes and saute until they are well mixed in with the onions, garlic, spices and oil.Turn off the heat and set aside while you get your lentils ready.
5-Drain your lentils in a sieve once: Drain your lentils in a sieve once they’re cooked, or if you’re using canned. The kind of sieve you use for icing sugar is ideal, as the holes in pasta colanders can be too large for lentils.Rinse them until the water is running clear – this is an important step keep the sauce from being muddied by the color of the dark cooking water.
6-Add the lentils to the pan and: Add the lentils to the pan and turn the heat back up. Mix through.
7-Add the vegetable stock and allow to: Add the vegetable stock and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Start off with the pan covered, but uncover it for the last couple of minutes. The sauce should thicken up as the lentils drink up some of the water.
8-Finally, stir in the cream, cheese and: Finally, stir in the cream, cheese and basil over a very low heat until the cheese has melted through and the basil has wilted into the sauce.
9-Allow to sit (covered) for 5 minutes: Allow to sit (covered) for 5 minutes to thicken up, then give it another stir and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: stovetop

Nutrition

• Calories: 378kcal
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 605mg
• Fat: 23g
• Saturated Fat: 11g
• Carbohydrates: 29g
• Fiber: 9g
• Protein: 17g
• Cholesterol: 45mg