Addictive Black Lentils with Spinach
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This recipe for black lentils with lightly caramelized onions and spinach is super simple and delicious. The key? A hefty splash of balsamic vinegar that reduces in the pan, offering both sweetness and acidity. Served over a schmear of lemony Greek yogurt sauce or labneh, this has become a favorite weeknight meal.
Black lentils cook quickly, hold their shape, and have a nice texture and flavor. They behave very similarly to French green lentils but cook more quickly. Friends, do you know about black lentils?
I bought them on a whim, and then immediately made this spinach recipe from Stacy Adimando’s Piatti, which calls for garnishing the lentils with a plump ball of burrata. As Ina says: How bad can that be?
I first made the lentils for my parents who were visiting, and in place of the burrata, I served them atop creamy, tangy labneh (also known as labnah or labne: essentially strained yogurt or yogurt “cheese”).
This has become one of my favorite weeknight meals, another great one to add to your repertoire of lightning fast lentil recipes.
How to Cook Black Lentils
- Place black lentils in a pot. Cover with water by at least an inch.
- Add a teaspoon of salt.
- Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer 23-25 minutes.
- Drain, and use as desired.
Make Them Ahead
This dish comes together super quickly, but here are a few things I have been doing to get ahead:
- Put the lentils in a pot, bring it to a simmer, cover the pot and slide the pot off the heat. I’ll do this before we head out to afternoon activities with the kids. When I get home, the lentils are nearly cooked; I just need to bring to a simmer and cook briefly.
- Sauté the onion ahead of time and just leave it in its pan on the stovetop.
- Make the entire recipe up until the point when you add the spinach. Hold the spinach till you are ready to reheat the lentils. Once they are warm, fold in the spinach.
Change it Up
I’ve mostly been using, as the recipe suggests, tender baby spinach, but I’ve also used beet greens (and roasted beets). I think any number of greens could work here: Swiss chard, turnip greens, mustard greens, etc.
Stacy prefers to serve these lentils with burrata, which makes sense — the texture and sharpness of the lentils balances out the creaminess of the burrata. I image fresh ricotta or whipped goat cheese would also work well here. When I can’t find labneh, I’ll stir together a simple yogurt sauce made with Greek yogurt, fresh lemon, and salt. It works beautifully.
Once you make this dish once, you’ll find countless ways to adapt it with various greens, vegetables, and creamy schmears. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients.
Simmer the lentils in one pot; sauté an onion in another.
When the lentils are finished, add some vinegar to the onions and let it reduce.
Combine the lentils and onions.
Add spinach.
Fold it in.
Get ready to serve.
Smear some labneh across a plate. If you can’t find labneh, you can stir together a lemony yogurt sauce, which works well here: Greek yogurt + fresh lemon + salt.
Spoon lentils over top. I could eat this every night.
PrintAddictive Black Lentils with Spinach
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
Description
Adapted from Stacy Adimando’s Piatti.
Scale this recipe up as needed. I find a half cup of lentils feeds two of us and leaves us with a teensy bit of leftovers. One cup of lentils would feed 4 people comfortably.
Labneh or burrata or Greek yogurt: The original recipe calls for burrata, which of course is delicious. I am loving using labneh here, but if you can’t find it, you could use this lemony Greek yogurt spread: 1 cup Greek yogurt + 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice + 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt — this is how I’ve been making it most recently as I haven’t been able to get my hands on labneh.
You could also use homemade ricotta, or even goat cheese whipped with some milk to thin to a spreadable consistency.
Ingredients
For the lentils:
- 1/2 cup black lentils (or French green lentils)
- kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- labneh or burrata (one 8-oz ball) or lemony-yogurt sauce (recipe below)
- flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for finishing
For the lemony-yogurt sauce:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a small pot and cover with water by at least an inch. Add a teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a simmer. Simmer till done. Times will vary considerably. My black lentils have been cooking consistently in about 23-25 minutes. If you are using French Green lentils, they’ll likely need a little more time. Taste before draining them.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Stir. Cover the pan and immediately turn the heat to low. I like to cook the onions super slowly for the entire time the lentils are cooking. Open the lid to check on the onions periodically, allowing any water trapped in the lid to drip back into the pan.
- When the lentils are done, remove the lid from the onion pan and turn heat to medium. Add the vinegar and cook until it reduces and becomes almost syrupy. Add the lentils and stir to combine. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt, then turn off the heat. Leave the spinach alone for a minute or two, then use tongs or a large spoon to incorporate the leaves into the lentils. Taste. Adjust with sea salt as needed or a splash more vinegar if necessary.
- To serve, smear some labneh across a plate. Spoon the warm spinach and lentils over top. Alternatively, if using burrata, break up the ball of burrata and drop spoonfuls of the creamy cheese over top. Or, if you are making the lemony yogurt sauce, stir together the yogurt, lemon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth; then smear that over a serving platter, before topping it with the spinach and lentils.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
133 Comments on “Addictive Black Lentils with Spinach”
Have not made this but I am definitely going to. I love lentils and normally cook them for Breyani. One tip: add salt only after they have cooked as, like beans, the salt can make them tough. Canned are easier, but not better, as they can be too soft.
Easy to make labneh: drain yoghurt overnight or longer in a cheese cloth lined colander, in the fridge.
Thank you for your lovely blog, Alexandra. It’s like listening to an interesting friend.
Greetings from Cape Town XO
Oh wow, amazing! Thanks for saying hi. Thank you for all of these tips. I am dying to make labneh … it is my latest obsession. I find it so, so good. Thank you for the kind words. xxoo
A basket-style coffee filter also works well for draining the yoghurt. You can also drain vanilla yoghurt overnight in the fridge and it makes a marvellous creamy cheese-like spread for toast, to use in desserts, etc. I’ve even substituted it for cream cheese in many recipes with not much change in texture from the original recipe.
So great to hear this, Norma! I was astonished by the likeness to cream cheese when I first tasted labneh. Thanks for writing!
I made this tonight and it was as simple and delicious as it sounded. I doubled the onions because I can never have too many. I also used French green lentils, red balsamic, and chard, because that’s what I had on hand. For the creamy base, being a vegan, I used tofu Tofutti cream cheese mixed with Forager plain yogurt. Added a baguette with olive oil for a meal on a plate…yum!!! Thank you for your fabulous, accessible recipes,
Yay! Kate, so happy to hear this! Love that you were able to adapt this to what you had on hand. I’m not surprised the vegan cream cheese was delicious here … labneh tastes like cream cheese to me! Thanks for writing 🙂
I am making this dish for a potluck picnic tomorrow. Can it be served room temperature?
Yes! Delicious at room temperature.
We made this yesterday evening to use up some black lentils I had purchased on a whim. As we were making it, I questioned how it could taste good, given the short list of ingredients and especially the few added seasonings, but I reminded myself that I have never made any recipes from this site that weren’t outstanding. Sure enough, the black lentils with spinach and Labneh were wonderful! I made a triple batch for my husband and I to ensure that we would have enough for leftovers to eat with our kids. I sautéed a mixture of sweet yellow onion, a shallot, and red onion (because that is what I had on hand), and we plated the mixture on a smear of Fage yogurt. We also crumbled a bit of feta on top. Tomorrow evening we will eat it with a bit goat cheese crumbled on top and some naan bread on the side!
So happy to hear this, Jennifer! This was one of those eye-opening recipes for me as well, so much more than the sum of its parts. Aren’t black lentils fun? Feta and goat cheese both sound delicious here. Will try that next 😍😍😍
I cooked the lentils ahead of time (a day) and then reheated them in the microwave when I was ready to add them to the onions. This is what I call a ‘do over’ recipe. I served it on a generous amount of ricotta cheese. Yum!
Yum! Sounds so good … it’s so nice to have cooked lentils on hand 😍😍😍😍
Delicious! I used green lentils and offered a choice of creamy goat cheese or valbreso French feta ( because that was what was in my fridge) My family loved it!! Thank you again for another inspiring recipe!
So nice to hear this, Leslie! I love French green lentils, too — such a great texture and flavor.
this has become one of my go to recipes. I can make the lentils a day or two in advance if needed and then throw it together easily when I come home from work. I like to saute the onions without the lid on and let them carmelize a bit before adding the white balsamic vinegar (another gamechanger). thanks for another great recipe!
So great to hear this, Michelle! I go through phases during which I make this every other day. I find it so satisfying. Thanks for writing!
Great dish! Wonderful mixture of flavors….and easy! Perfect for a Sunday lunch.
Wonderful to hear, Libby!
Simple, excellent and nutritious. Black lentils might be my favorite now. I used ricotta because that’s what I had and yum! Only disappointed that my toddler didn’t love it (think reduced vinegar was the deal breaker). Will make it again and take her portion out pre-vinegar reduction. Served 2 adults for dinner with a tiny bit leftover, exactly as you wrote in the recipe!
So nice to hear this, Lauren! And I am sure the vinegar is the culprit. I find my kids don’t love dressings as sharp as I do. Thanks so much for writing!
Using what I had, I served the lentil, spinach and dressing over hummus. My new favorite lunch!
Yay! I love this one so much. Thanks for writing!
So very good!
Yay 😍😍😍😍😍
We had this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit! The black lentils were delicious, and the whole was greater than the sum of its very humble parts. I didn’t have white balsamic vinegar but will definitely be on the lookout for it if I can ever go in a grocery store again. I used a mix of regular balsamic and some sherry vinegar, because that’s what I had, and it was still fantastic. I had just made fresh yogurt in my IP, so I used that with the lemon juice and salt for the smear. I can’t even tell you how much I loved it! We had enough left over that I’m looking forward to eating it for lunch with a slice of bread from your book. Thanks for this very versatile and satisfying — and EASY — recipe!
So wonderful to hear this Susan. And I’m happy to hear you made this work with what you have — that’s what this recipe is all about if you ask me. And homemade yogurt sounds divine! Thanks so much for writing! And yay for peasant bread, too 🙂
Love lentils and spinach so trying this recipe a no-brainer. I used what I had on hand: fresh spinach, vidalia onion, French lentils discovered in back of pantry. I suspect their age contributed to needing longer cooking time (about +12 min to recipe). I topped off all with smoked Gouda pieces. Yum.
A bonus for me is the technique for caramelizing onions—easy. Will make all again—with suggested cheese and more of everything. So far I’m hitting a 100% satisfaction with Alexandra’s recipes. So glad I found this site.
So nice to hear this Stephanie! I should make a note about cooking times if using French lentils, which I love in this recipe, too. Thanks so much for writing!
Made this tonight and it was so good! I subbed steamed lentils from Trader Joe’s as that’s all I had on hand. Such an easy and tasty meal to put together!
Wonderful to hear this, Jenny! I love those steamed lentils … so good!
Easy and delicious!!! I will commit this to memory and make it again. Only problem….no leftovers!!
Wonderful to hear, Betsy! And I know: there are never leftovers with this one 🙂
This was SO good. I delayed making this for awhile because I worried that it’s simplicity would be boring. So not the case. This is going into the regular rotation. So easy to make and so delicious. I added sliced homemade lamb merquez sausage, but it would have been good even without it.
Wonderful to hear this, Jen! And wow: homemade lamb merquez sausage sounds out of this world!! Thanks for writing 🙂
This is beyond delicious. I am so in love with this dish, I’ll be making my second batch tomorrow. I only let my hubby have a taste. Lol. I substituted the white balsamic vinegar with rice vinegar, and loved it. Thank you so much for this recipe. This will be in our weekly rotation.
So wonderful to hear this, Erin! Nice call on not sharing 🙂 🙂 🙂 Love the idea of rice vinegar. Thanks so much for writing! This is one of my favorites.
This was so easy, and surprisingly delicious! My husband is always looking for meat…even he liked it! Definitely a keeper!
Wonderful to hear this, Kathy! And I can relate to having the meat-loving husband 🙂 My husband loves these lentils as well. Thanks for writing!
If I have canned black lentils, would I just start with step 2? Thank you!
Yes! I would drain and rinse the lentils first. Good luck!
Late to commenting on this but i make this at least once a week. they are, as advertised, addictive. thank you for another great recipe
So nice to hear this, Laura! This one is one of my faves. Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
really enjoyed this dish! used a combo of red balsamic and white wine vinegar in lieu of white balsamic and came out great!
Wonderful to hear this, Hope! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
This was wonderful! I’m so glad I found this recipe. I’m also grateful for the comments because I wondered how to modify based on what was in my cupboard. I used green lentils, a red onion, and regular balsamic. These lentils are so flavorful! I actually used them as the protein in a bowl with brown rice and roasted cauliflower. I’m vegan, so I made a lemon garlic tahini sauce instead of the labneh, and the whole thing together made me hum with happiness. Bonus points for being far easier than I had imagined. Will be making this many times over, I’m sure. Thank you!
So great to hear this, Jen! This is one of my go-to weeknight recipes for its simplicity and flavor and because it’s so healthy. I love the idea of making a lemon-garlic tahini sauce. Yum!
This was amazing…so simple but just wonderful tasting! Thank you 🙂
Great to hear, Colette! This is one of my faves 🙂 🙂 🙂
I made this for lunch today! Delicious! I didn’t have a non-dairy yogourt so I ate it without the labneh…It was DELICIOUS on its own! Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful to hear, Merly! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I made this tonight using silverbeet instead of spinach and red balsamic vinegar, absolutely delicious! So easy too, thank you for this recipe.
Wonderful to hear this, Hannah! Thanks so much for writing and sharing 🙂
Absolutely LOVE this dish! We like it best with a lemon garlic tahini sauce rather than the dairy options.
Great to hear, Fran! I love a garlic tahini sauce as well. Thanks for writing!
This was amazing! I loved it so much. Made it just as written. The yogurt ‘sauce’ was a perfect addition to the lentil/spinach mixture. I’ve already shared the recipe with others. Having it for leftovers tonight. 😄
Wonderful to hear this, Ardis 🙂 🙂 🙂 It’s one of my faves. I always make a double batch now because the leftovers are so good.
I have so many favorite recipes from your blog and cookbook but this might be my very favorite. So quick! So simple! So delicious! I would eat this every day and my husband and kids loved it, too. Thank you for this one!
Yay! So nice to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂 This is truly one of my favorites, too. Thanks for writing 💕💕
So easy to make and delish!
Grat to hear, Meeka 🙂 🙂 🙂
This black bean dish is truly addictive. As simple as the recipe is, it is an explosion of flavor. I have set it beside many main dishes from fish to chicken and ingested it right out the pan. Delish!
So great to hear this, Christine 🙂 🙂 🙂 It’s one of my faves 💕