French Lentils Recipe with Sage Brown Butter

This hearty French lentils recipe combines French (du Puy) lentils with sage infused brown butter, tosses them in a maple-Dijon vinaigrette, and serves it all up warm in a baked winter squash, garnished with crunchy toasted walnuts.

French Lentils

French lentils are small and green, and grown in the Puy region of France. They are different from more common brown lentils, as they retain their shape better when cooked, and contain less starch. Lentils are rich in minerals, protein, and fiber, and are a delicious ingredient to have in your pantry for plant-based main dishes like this one.

Brown Butter

Sage brown butter sounds like a complicated ingredient, but it couldn’t be any easier! Cooking butter over a medium temperature for a period of time browns the milk solids in the butter, hence “browned butter”. This French lentils recipe adds aromatics and pours it all over the lentils for an aromatic flavor that is to die for!

Serving Suggestions

Serve French lentils with sage brown butter on their own, over cooked or raw greens, or in winter squash halves, as shown in the recipe below. Turkish-style Carrot Salad with Minty Yogurt Dressing would also make a nice accompaniment.

French Lentils Recipe with Sage Brown Butter

Earthy sage is infused into brown butter for a hearty vegetarian dish that can serve as a side or a main course.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: California

Keyword: easy vegetarian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 385kcal

Author: Aliye Aydin

Ingredients

• 1 cup French lentils (also known as du Puy lentils)
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 Tablespoons roughly chopped sage
• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 3 scallions chopped
• 1/3 cup golden raisins (sultanas)
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dark amber maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup walnuts toasted
• 3 mini cooked acorn squash (optional)

Instructions

• Combine lentils, bay leaf, water, and salt in a medium pot. Bring to boil, turn down to a simmer, and cover, cooking until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.
• Melt butter over medium high heat in a saute pan. When butter starts to turn a golden tan color, add sage, thyme, scallions, and golden raisins, and cook for two more minutes. Pour over warm lentils.
• Add olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and salt to lentils and stir to combine. Serve warm lentils in cooked squash halves, or over a bed of greens, or on their own. Garnish with toasted walnuts.

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