Inspired by the amazing people at the Canadian Lentils who know what they’re talking about when it comes to beans!
My kids love Macaroni & Cheese! To make it a healthier portion with every meal, I’ve added lentils which are rich in protein and fiber, and lots of onions. You can decide for yourself how much of each to put into this dish. But we love onions in this family! And this dish calls not for any baking in the oven! Just mix all the ingredients described in the recipe together when they’re hot!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (750 ml) elbow macaroni
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 cups (375 ml) cooked split red lentils
- 1-1/2 cups (375 ml) evaporated or regular milk
- 2 Tbsp (30 ml) minced shallots
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) white wine
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) cayenne pepper
- 1 egg, whisked
- 2 cups (500 ml) grated aged cheddar
- 3/4 cup (190 ml) grated Asiago cheese
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped chives
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- COOK pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water and drain.
- RETURN to pot an melt in 1 Tbsp (15 ml) butter. Toss to coat.
- PUREE the milk and cooked lentils together in a bowl, using a hand blender. Set aside.
- MELT remaining butter in a medium sauce pot and saute shallots and garlic until soft. Whisk in the wine, cayenne, and lentil mixture.
- REMOVE the pan from the stove and allow to cool. Whisk in the egg. Add pasta and cheese. Stir to combine. Over low heat, continue to stir 1-2 minutes or until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
- GARNISH with chives and serve immediately.
Macaroni and Cheese With Lentils
Scoop the macaronies into a bowl and have a feast!
This Macaroni & Cheese Does Not Require Baking!
Shopping List for Lentils
Try different lentils to appreciate their flavor profile. I’ve been cooking with lentils for many years, and each kind of lentils has its amazing qualities and benefits.
Lentils are rich vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. If you need vitamin B, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, then include lentils into your diet. In addition, your skin will thank you, too!
Check out my detailed post about the vitamin B complex benefits. You’ll learn a lot.
Lentils for Plant-Based Cooking
Here's a shopping list to a rainbow of lentils. All lentils on the list are GMO Free and non-irradiated. You would be able to sprout them for your fresh salads and side dishes if you wanted to.
Small Brown Lentils • Pardina or Spanish Brown • 100% Desiccant Free • Non-GMO Project Verified • 100% Non-Irradiated • Certified Kosher Parve • USA Grown
I like these lentils from the Palouse farms because the lentils are Non-GMO. All Palouse Brand products will sprout and are non-irradiated.
Black Beluga Lentils, 10 Pounds
This is yet another great product that offers Non-GMO black beluga lentils that are not irradiated.
French Green Le Puy Dry Lentils 4lb Bulk Resealable Bag. Non-Irradiated & Sproutable, Vegan, Certified Kosher
With 28 grams of protein per serving, it’s no wonder lentils are a top choice for most plant-based diets.
They are packed with vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, fiber and magnesium.
To further enrich nutritional density, try sprouting.
Split Red Dry Lentils, 4lb Bulk Resealable Bag. Non-Irradiated & Sproutable, Vegan, Non-GMO, Certified Kosher
These tiny, flavorful legumes are an excellent base for soups, stews, curries and chili. Try them in a variety of dishes such as Indian Red Lentil Dal, Massor Dal, Split Red Lentil Vegetable soup or try them in a tasty Mediterranean Lentil Salad.
Whole Dried Brown Lentils, 4lb Bulk Resealable Bag. Non-Irradiated & Sproutable, Vegan Non-GMO, Certified Kosher
With a smooth appearance and somewhat firm
texture, these tiny legumes are packed with both plant-based protein an flavor.
Their rich, earthy taste and aroma make them perfect for homemade chilis or hearty stews and soups.
Easy Dinner Recipes
• Baked Eggplant Parmesan
• 15 Sheet Pan Dinners – Pick your favorite!
• Baked Parmesan Meatball Sliders
PIN for Your Next Taste Buds Adventure
43 thoughts on “Macaroni & Cheese With Lentils”
Clever way to get a bit more fiber into a favorite dish. I like the onions in it.
We had macaroni and cheese today, I never would have thought of using lentils, and I love them. Next time, I’m trying this!
What a fun way to sneak in some lentils to the kid’s dish. They’d eat Mac N Cheese 24/7 if I’d let them. I can’t wait to try your recipe. It looks so delicious and creative too.
Terri,
I agree with you on that frequency of mac-n-cheese being served, if we allowed it!
This mac recipe, my kids and their friends devour, no kidding.
Tastes the same! Just has lentils! he he
I absolutely love mac and cheese. This looks amazing!
I have never thought about paring lentils with my mac and cheese! But that’s a great way to get in protein and make it an entire meal in stead of a side dish!
I would never have thought to add lentils to mac and cheese! What a great way to add protein – will definitely try this!
Everything looks so good! It’s awesome to be able to just cook this for the kids! Especially since it’s a classic favorite. I think adding lentils is a great idea.
Very interesting combination! Lentils are healthy! I’d love to try this recipe! Looks tasty.
Until recently I never knew just how versatile lentils were. I’m definitely adding this to my recipe box.
I can’t remember the last time we had macaroni cheese. I’d love to give this a try again. Thanks for the recipe.
I have never added lentils to macaroni and cheese before. What a great way to make comfort food more filling.
I am always looking for ways to make recipes healthier. I will have to get the ingredients I need to make this Mac and Cheese. I am sure it will be a hit.
I am trying to think if I have ever had lentils before and apart from the soup I am not entirely sure but would love to try macaroni cheese with lentils
Anosa,
The flavor of mac & cheese if practically the same!
The lentils will acquire the flavor of the main dish!
Macaroni is like my favourite comfort food, I would absolutely love to try it with lentils as well what a great idea.
Sarah,
You’ll never know lentils are there!
They take on the flavor of the sauce, which is cheese in this case.
I think I would love these variety of Mac and Cheese over the regular ones because it does not look overflowing with a cheesy taste. It just appear to have the right amount of taste and flavor.
Franc,
This recipe is awesome! Lentils acquire the taste of the sauce of any dish you cook the with.
Here, you will have your regular mac & cheese taste with an incredible boost of fiber, protein and micronutrients these little guys carry on!
I would never have thought of adding lentils to macaroni and cheese. It looks like a great way to get some extra nutrients!
I’ve never thought to add lentils to my Mac and Cheese. I love the addition of protein and fiber and I need to try this the next time I make macaroni and cheese.
My kids would absolutely love that. They love anything pasta and noodles.
That is a fun twist!! I am going to have to add lentils to my mac & cheese the next time I make it. Yum!
My favorite comfort food is Mac & cheese. Never thought of adding lentils (which is a good idea) to it.
I love Mac and cheese and lentils but I’ve never tried them together. This looks good and I will definitely try the recipe.
Love Mac n Cheese but never would cook it with lentils. Not sure my kids would like that.
That looks sooo good. Have never tried anything like this before but would love to!
I’ve never had mac and cheese with lentils, but it definitely sounds like an interesting idea. I’m a big lentil fan.
I hadn’t thought of making mac and cheese with lentils before, this looks like a delicious idea. Thanks for sharing a yummy recipe!
Yum, lots of good cheeses in there! I will have to try this recipe! Yours looks like it turned out great!
We just love macaroni and cheese in our family. This sounds like it is really tasty! I like lentils.
Sounds good to me! Anything that is easy I will at least try. And I do love Mac & Cheese. Interesting additions –may try then.
What a great way to remix macaroni & cheese. This would make a great meal for my family. Lentils are super delicious .
This looks really good. I’m always trying to find a way to dress up mac n cheese. I’ve never tried lentils before, sounds like it would be interesting.
This is a very clever new recipe. Perfect for me to use my lentil leftovers
That looks good and it looks feeling! I husband makes mac & cheese every once in a while but this one looks a whole lot better than his LOL.
I love macaroni and cheese (with anything). I had never tried lentils until I went to Blogger Bash last summer, glad I tried them. They’re quite tasty.
Yum! Mac and cheese is a big favorite in our house. I don’t take the time to cook as much as I did back when my girls were young, but it’s one of my favorite things to make from scratch.
We eat a lot of pasta in our house but we have never thought to add lentils to our dishes.
This looks like it would be much more filling than our normal recipe!
I love mac and cheese, but I’ve never tried it with lentils. I’d really love to try this recipe. I think the whole family would love it! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever had lentils before. But anything with mac n cheese has to be delicious, right!?
Mac and Cheese is a huge fave at our house – with the kids and the adults. Adding lentils is such a great idea.
That sounds like a great dinner idea. Mac and cheese is a big favorite in our house.