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This nutritious one pot Mexican lentils recipe is a hearty, fiber and protein packed vegetarian dinner the whole family will love! Lentils, black beans, brown rice, veggies, and plenty of cheese round out this delicious Mexican inspired meal.
This post and recipe have been updated since it was originally published on 12/5/2016
Why You’ll Love Mexican Lentils
Meatless Recipe – If you’re looking to incorporate more meatless meals into your diet, look no further than these Mexican lentils! This is a hearty one pot recipe that’s packed with protein, fiber, and carbs.
Healthy – Lentils and black beans are both a great source of plant based protein and fiber. They also contain other nutrients such as iron, magnesium, vitamin B, and zinc. Brown rice is a whole grain and the main carbohydrate in the dish. The combination of rice and beans is what makes this hearty and substantial vegetarian main dish.
Meal Prep – If you meal prep, this is a great option for you. You can also repurpose the leftovers and use them as a filling for tacos or burritos.
Affordable – The majority of the ingredients used in this recipe are pantry ingredients and all of them are affordable. Rice and beans are versatile budget-friendly ingredients.
What Are Pulses?
Pulses are delicious, protein-packed, sustainable foods known as dry peas, chickpeas, lentils and beans.
They are a great source of protein and fiber as well as being lower in fat than many types of meat. I chose to use lentils and black beans in this one pot meal for a couple reasons.
Both are full of iron and super filling. A 1/2 cup of cooked lentils provides 15% of your daily iron needs. One serving of black beans has more iron than a 3 ounce serving of flank steak.
Iron is especially important for women and even more so for female athletes. Not having enough iron in your diet can leave you feeling tired and low on energy.
Ingredient Notes
Onion and garlic – The aromatics. Yellow or white onion can be used.
Brown rice – Long grain brown rice should be used, not short grain. Brown jasmine rice is my favorite.
Lentils – Green lentils also called Puy lentils, French green lentils, or Le Puy lentils, are best for this recipe. They hold their shape and don’t break down like red lentils.
Chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder – This spice blend gives the lentils a delicious earthy flavor. If you can’t find chipotle powder or don’t want it to be spicy, substitute with smoked paprika.
Vegetable broth – Use low sodium to prevent the dish from being too salty. You can also use chicken broth.
Black beans – Black beans add a creamy texture that pairs well with the chew of the lentils. You could also use pinto beans.
Fire roasted tomatoes – In keeping with the smoky earthy flavors, fire roasted tomatoes add to it.
Corn, zucchini, green chiles – The veggies. They add more fiber and the corn is a nice sweet element.
Enchilada sauce – Red enchilada sauce adds so much flavor to the Mexican lentils. You can also use green enchilada sauce if you prefer. My favorite brands are Hatch and Siete Foods.
Cheese – Gooey, melted cheese ties the whole meal together. Use colby jack, monterey jack, cheddar, or a combination of cheeses.
Tips For Making Mexican Lentils and Rice
- Don’t substitute brown rice with white rice for this recipe. The cooking time and the amount of liquid will not be the same.
- Before you add the lentils to the skillet, rinse them and check them for debris and small rocks.
- Use a large enough and deep enough skillet with a lid. I recommend a 12 inch skillet. You can also use a pot or Dutch oven.
- If there’s excess liquid in the pan after the rice and lentils are cooked, drain it. Otherwise it will be too much like soup
Substitutions and Variations
- Add protein. If you want additional protein and don’t care if it’s vegetarian, I suggest ground beef or ground turkey. Cook the ground meat and season it with salt and pepper. Set it aside and cook the Mexican lentils as instructed. Stir the ground beef or turkey in before adding the cheese on top.
- Make it dairy-free. Omit the cheese or swap with vegan cheese, such as Violife.
- Use different veggies. Swap zucchini with red bell pepper or summer squash.
- Brown lentils can be used if needed, but they won’t have the same texture as green lentils.
Serving Suggestions
This is a hearty vegetarian dinner that can be served on it’s own. I like to top it with chunks of avocado and a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream. Tortilla chips are a must for scooping it up!
The leftover Mexican lentils can repurposed in a variety of ways. I like to use them as a filling for burritos or tacos. You can also try topping them with a fried egg for extra protein.
If you want to serve a side dish with the lentils, I suggest my cornbread muffins or Mexican street corn salad.
Storing and Reheating
Storage – The leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can also freeze the cooled leftover for up to 3 months. Defrost them in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating – Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until hot. I like to add a little extra cheese on top when reheating so you get that cheesy top again.
More Lentil Recipes
If you love lentils, I’ve got some delicious recipes for you to try!
If you’re looking for a soup recipe, try this creamy red lentil butternut squash soup and lentil minestrone.
Lentil salads are great for lunches. This Mediterranean lentil salad and roasted sweet potato lentil salad are super satisfying!
For a main dish lentil recipe make this southwest lentil and brown rice casserole, sweet potato lentil tacos, or lentil sweet potato chili.
If you make this Mexican Lentils Recipe, please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you and do my best to respond to your comments. And if you’re on Instagram tag @reciperunner so I can see your beautiful creations!
Mexican Lentils (Cheesy One Pot Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 clove of garlic, grated or minced
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain brown rice
- 1/2 cup dry green lentils, rinsed
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle powder or smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup fire roasted tomatoes, drained
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 1 small zucchini, shredded
- 1/2 cup defrosted frozen corn
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- 1 cup shredded cheese, colby jack, cheddar, or monterey jack
- Cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet (with a lid) or pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is heated add in a little olive oil and stir in the onion and garlic. Season with salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes then add in the brown rice and lentils.
- Pour in the vegetable broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 35-45 minutes, or until the lentils and rice are tender. If there's any excess liquid drain it.
- Add the dried spices, salt and pepper, to the rice and lentils. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except a 1/2 cup of the cheese.
- Heat the mixture until the cheese is melted. Top with the remaining cheese and cover with a lid. Heat on low until the cheese is melted and the mixture is bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was an awesome dish. Will probably have enough for several days of leftovers haha! How is it you are measuring serving sizes?
How would the broth amount change if I’m using the precooked lentils from Trader Joes? (And make the rice ahead of time?)
Could I use the same amount of broth for just cooking rice and then add the lentils after?
This was so good and so easy. I didn’t use any enchilada sauce and I didn’t miss it. I added some sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo. I used an instant rice packet – a yellow, spanish rice blend instead of the long grain rice. Since that rice is seasoned I didn’t need to add as much additional seasoning to the dish. The instant rice only takes 10 minutes to quick, so I started with the lentils first and cooked those Until they were almost done. Then I added the rice with about ten minutes left, and instead of frozen corn, I added fresh corn cut off the cob at the end. It worked really well and was super tasty.
I only used about 1/4 cup of cheese and that was perfect for me. I ate some as is, then I ate the leftovers on top of tortilla chips with additional cheese for some quick nachos.
This is easy and forgiving to change it up with different spices that you have on hand, or to use a pre-seasoned rice mix, as long as you pay attention to the cooking time of the lentils and rice.
Will definitely strain the rice and beans before adding other ingredients. Mine turned into soup. A extremely delicious soup!
We LOVE this meal. It’s so quick and easy and super delicious. It’s in our meal rotation. I’ve shared it with many others that have loved it as well.
Thanks for sharing, will be making it this week! A few things though:
If the lentils are uncooked, shouldn’t you leave them in a bowl of water over night?
Also, this is very similar to the way we cook rice in my country (Spain. We normally use a ratio of 1 part of rice to 1.5 parts of water, maybe it helps somebody!
Thanks again!
Lentils don’t need to be soaked unlike other legumes. They cook in approximately 30 minutes or so and should be tender when the rice is. Thanks for sharing the rice cooking method you use too! :-)
This was phenomenal! So good. I’ve been trying to make more meatless meals and this one made me realize why. Thank you!
I’m happy to hear you liked it Heather!
Great dish!!????thanks Danae
I made this for my brother, who is a vegetarian. It was fantastic, super easy to throw together, and a great thing to make to feed a large family of people. I bought tortillas for everyone to make their own taco out of this and served it with a side of plantains cooked in coconut oil. Thank you for this great dish! It was yummy.
I’m happy to hear you and the family enjoyed it Erin! It does make a great taco filling doesn’t it? :-)
I love this recipe. This is one of those clean-out-the-fridge recipes because I almost always have the ingredients and it’s still delicious. It’s also really adaptable. Thanks!