Simple braised puy lentils are easy to make but so delicious and comforting. Enjoy these French lentils as a main, with sausages, or serve cold as a salad. You will return to this recipe again and again.

French lentil ragout

You can trust the French to have a way to make the simplest of ingredients taste amazing. And these braised puy lentils are no exception.

You can enjoy these as a side (I love them with sausages), as a main in their own right, or allow to cool and mix with some rocket / arugula and creamy goats cheese for a simple but gourmet salad. You could even blitz up leftovers to make soup!

With no need to pre soak the lentils this can be ready in just over half an hour.

See also more of my tasty side dish recipes

• Miso aubergine is a sumptuous traditional vegetable dish that is full of flavour and happy in a starring role.
• Easy carrot and swede mash is a delicious recipe for a glorious, golden, flavour-packed mash
• All you need to know on how to cook sausages in the air fryer – these go so well with braised Puy lentils.
• For a delicious burst of intense tomato flavour, you can’t beat my wonderful air fryer cherry tomatoes

These braised lentils are classic peasant food, filling and hearty food made using affordable, readily available ingredients.

Like many peasant style dishes it can make a little meat go further, but this dish is so delicious, adding some really isn’t necessary.

Sauté aromatics, carrot, onion and celery that make up a classical sofrito. Then add the lentils, some herbs and cook in stock with an optional glug of wine for even more flavour.

These lentils are perfect for bulk cooking and freezing – I cook for two most of the time, but will always try and batch where I can. Make your life easier by cooking once and eating twice or more!

These braised lentils are also very adaptable, so make a fantastic meal at the end of the week to use up all the lonely vegetables left in the salad crisper.

Why make braised puy lentils

• They are delicious!

• A super fast and easy recipe!

• A true one pot – so less washing up.

• It is no waste & flexible – I’ll tell you how to use the ingredients you have.

• Homemade means you control the ingredients – no additives so UPF free (depending on the brands you use)

• Equally good hot or cold.

• Suitable to make ahead, and to fill the freezer

Braised French lentils ingredients

• Puy Lentils / French lentils – These lentils are smaller and rounder than green lentils. They have a classic dark green skin with black speckles. Once cooked (with no need to pre soak) they have a rich nutty flavour and will retain some bite and texture.
  
  See the close up photo below. I find they are not always labelled as Puy lentils (also some people confuse with mung beans – they are NOT the same thing).

• Onion – one medium to large – any type – even a couple of shallots

• Celery – one stick, this adds flavour and will not make the dish taste of celery. You could also use a leek.

• Carrot – one regular carrot, together with the onion and celery this makes up the classic aromatic sofrito base that adds such a delicious flavour to the lentils.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
To save time on chopping you can buy bags of frozen ready prepared onion, carrot and celery. It will be with the frozen vegetables and called soffritto, mirepoix or classic vegetable mix.

I often use it when in a hurry and usually have a bag in the freezer. Simply pour into a hot pan and fry from frozen. In terms of convenience it is worth every penny!

• Garlic – One or two cloves

• Herbs – I have used a mix of bay, thyme and oregano

• Stock – vegetable or chicken stock, homemade is best, but a cube or stock pot works well.

• Olive oil (not pictured) – to sauté the aromatics.

• Wine (not pictured) – Optional – for some extra flavour

How to make braised puy lentils – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make the best French lentils!

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Prepare the vegetables.

• Onion – peel and finely dice
• Celery – trim and finely dice
• Carrot – trim, peel and finely dice
• Garlic – peel and chop

Step Two – Add the olive oil into a shallow skillet or pan, that has a well fitting lid, and gently sweat the onion, celery and carrots over a low heat, until they are fragrant, stirring to avoid catching.

They should become soft and tender without colouring. This will take about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Get it Right! Helen’s Expert Tip
Garlic takes less time to cook than the onion, carrots and celery, and will burn easily, so always add it towards the end of sautéing the other ingredients so it does not burn.

The size of your pan will make a difference to the outcome of the recipe. A 10″ / 25cm lidded frying pan or shallow casserole dish is perfect for these quantities.

A much larger pan will mean that everything will cook faster, and the sauce will dry out, while a smaller pan will be too full, tricky to stir, and the liquid won’t reduce enough. However you don’t need the exact sized pan anything around this size will do.

Step Three – Add the puy lentils and herbs, stir in and sauté for another minute.

Step Four – Make up the stock with two thirds of the boiling water. Add to the pan.

I don’t season at this stage, as depending which brand of stock you use, you might not need additional salt. Also many people say that it makes the lentil skins tough.

Get it Right! Helen’s Expert Tip
Similarly to when I make soup I err on adding less liquid than I think I will need. The exact amount will depend on the size and shape of your pan, how well the lid fits and the temperature you simmer at.

Cover with the lid and simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils have started to soften. Check and stir halfway through.

Step Five – Towards the end of cooking you can add some more liquid if needed (if the lentils are dry and are not cooked), or a glug of red or white wine.

Step Six – Once cooked the lentils should be soft, but retaining some bite, and not dry. Add more liquid as required.

Stir and season to taste if needed.

Serving suggestion

I like to garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Enjoy freshly cooked from the pan as a side dish. The lentils pair especially well with sausages, or stir some soft goats’ cheese through the warm lentils so it partially melts.

Storage / Leftovers

This recipe makes six portions. If you are cooking for fewer people here is how to store leftovers for another meal.

Leftovers make a delicious salad, I like to stir through some rocket / arugula leaves and creamy goats’ cheese. You can add some more stock, heat in a pan and whizz into soup.

Fridge – Once cool, pack into containers, seal and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days

Freezer – Once packed into containers, freeze. Store for up to 6 months.

Reheating – Defrost in the fridge overnight, or on the kitchen worktop for a few hours. Reheat in a pan on the stove top, or in a safe container in the microwave.

Variations

I love an adaption or two when I am cooking. Try some (but not all at once) of these variations in this recipe.

• Add some wine towards the end of cooking. Either red or white is delicious.

• Use a leek instead of the celery.

• Add a generous spoon of grain Dijon mustard with the stock.

• Add a spoon of tomato puree along with the stock for a richer sauce.

Hints and tips

• The cooking time and the amount of stock needed will vary according to the shape and size of your pan and the age of your lentils. I find this recipe needs about three times the volume of liquid to lentils.

• Puy lentils do not need pre soaking. However if you find a packet that has been at the back of the cupboard for years, then I would soak them overnight and reduce the initial amount of stock by a third.

• As vegetables do not come in standard sizes use what you have, the exact amounts do not really matter.

• Always add a little less liquid than you think you need, check half way through cooking and add more if necessary.

Are Puy lentils and green lentils the same?

Puy lentils are lentils that are green, it’s true, but they are different from those simply sold as “green lentils”. Puy lentils have appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) protection, meaning that only those grown in the commune of Le Puy-en-Velay in France can be sold as Puy lentils; however, this does mean that they are more expensive than regular lentils, but they are worth it. They also have their own peppery, nutty flavour.

More lentils recipes

• Turkey and lentil soup is comforting, lightly spiced, easy to make and ready in less than half an hour
• My easy recipe for spicy carrot lentil soup is also vegan and gluten free
• Courgettes make a tasty addition to a classic in my courgette red lentil daal
• A roasted red pepper, tomato and lentils soup, full of flavour, rich in colour and packed with antioxidants
• All my lentil recipes