Truffled Lentil and Kale Risotto Recipe (2024)

February 17, 2020

Published February 17, 2020 | Julia Frey (Vikalinka)

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This green lentil and kale risotto recipe is so delicious, you will forget how healthy it is! It is a great way to enjoy lentils, that are a nutrition powerhouse and are so affordable! Comfort food without the guilt!

If you are a lentil fan, give our Roasted Butternut Squash and Spiced Lentils, Feta and Pine Nuts a try! Amazing flavours!

We are probably not the only ones who started the month of January with a renewed commitment to a healthier and more active lifestyle. So we dutifully finished off all the remaining sweets and fatty snacks and started anew.

It hasn’t been always easy. I can do without sweets but I am a carb addict. Pasta, potatoes, rice, bread. I love them all.

Steamy, creamy risotto that is like a hug in a bowl for me. There is nothing more that I crave on a cold, rainy day. However, the resolution to have food with more nutritional value had me exchange rice for lentils.

And that has turned out to be a fantastic swap! I am a big lentil fan and have been for years. I have loads of lentil recipes on this website not only because they are good for us but mostly because we genuinely enjoy them!

How to Make Lentil Risotto

This dish is actually not too far off from a real risotto if you are into lentils like we are. The basic method is the same but unlike risotto you don’t have to stir!! So this also makes it a very easy recipe.

What makes this lentil recipe exceptional is a bit of mushroom and truffle paste added at the end. I love that stuff and no, they are not paying me to advertise!

If you can’t find that particular paste, use any truffle flavoured butter or oil available to you. I’ve also thrown in some kale to bulk it up and to increase our vegetable consumption but spinach will also work.

I used cavolo nero variety, also known as black kale, black cabbage or even Dino kale, (short for dinosaur), as it is the one kind I truly enjoy. You can also use curly kale. They are all good!

I prefer using green lentils for this dish as they hold shape better than red lentils. If you prefer red lentils, which also cook faster, take a look at my Red Lentil Dal. My husband brought that recipe from Nepal.

A few shavings of parmesan and a hot bowl of lentil and kale risotto is in front of you. It’s lean, healthy and incredibly delicious! We’ve been eating it at least 4-5 times a week for the last 3 weeks, so I’ve had time to perfect the recipe.

I developed this recipe to fill the void that abandoning carbs had created but to my and Brad’s surprise we absolutely fell in love with it. Just last night Brad asked me to keep the recipe on our regular dinner rotations even when “we are off this crazy diet”. Done and done.

More amazing lentil recipes:

Nepalese Red Lentil Dahl (Lentil Curry)
Lentil and Broad Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette and Feta
Quinoa and Puy Lentil Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

This recipe was originally published in 01/2016. Updated and republished in 02/2020.

Truffled Lentil and Kale "Risotto"

Julia Frey of Vikalinka

This lentil and kale risotto is so delicious, you will forget how healthy it is! Comfort food without the guilt!

4.93 from 14 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine American, Modern European

Servings 4

Calories 301 kcal

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 celery stalks
2 garlic cloves
200 g/ 1 cup green lentils
750 ml/3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
100 g/4 stems of kale/ cavolo nero sliced
1 tbsp mushroom and truffle sauce or truffle butter
2 tsbp parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a deep pan and add chopped onion and celery, cook for 10 minutes over low heat until softened, add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer, then add lentils and toast them while stirring for 1 minute.
Add the stock, sliced kale and salt, stir to combine and cover with a lid, cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, then take the lid off and cook for 30 more minutes.
A few minutes before the lentils are cooked stir in mushroom and truffle sauce and grate some parmesan cheese over it, stir to combine. The lentils should be tender but still hold their shape and the kale should be soft.

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 17gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 880mgPotassium: 692mgFiber: 16gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3055IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 157mgIron: 4mg

Keyword lentil and kale risotto, lentil recipes

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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About Julia Frey (Vikalinka)

Julia Frey is a London based recipe developer and photographer. Julia founded Vikalinka in 2012 with the main mission to provide her readers with delicious and accessible everyday recipes, which could be enjoyed by everyone.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

Karen says
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Delicious meal, comforting and filling with lots of umami. Iv made quite a few of Vikalinkas recipes now and I haven’t been disappointed with any of them!
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- vikalinka says
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  Thank you so much, Karen! It’s great to hear you’ve enjoyed many recipes from our site!
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Laura Cortez says
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Just made it and it was SO GOOD!
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- vikalinka says
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  I am so happy you loved it, Laura! This dish is so wholesome and so comforting to me.
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Bev says
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Hi
First time reader of Vikalinka for me.
Looks like this post was end of Jan. so hoping your Bread and Baked Goods Birthday in Berlin was a huge success.
The lentil dish is a pretty dish. Thank you.
Bev
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- vikalinka says
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  Thank you for stopping by and your comment, Bev. Time in Berlin was absolutely amazing and the baked goods out of this world delicious. I am still dreaming about one of the cakes we’ve had!
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Katya @ Little Broken says
See Also
33 Vintage French Christmas Recipes Worth Trying Today
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Oh…and I so hope you’re enjoying your 40th bday getaway!
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Katya @ Little Broken says
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Your photography is “on point” as they say 🙂 But seriously Julia this dish looks amazing and your photography just get better and better with every post. We’ve been eating lentils for couple years only and mostly in soups but this looks amazing. That truffle sauce sounds fancy!
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- vikalinka says
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  Thank you, Katya!! We started eating lentils when Brad returned from Nepal almost 16 years ago and brought a really great recipe with him for Nepalese Dal, then I discovered lentils were an easy baby food and my babies loved them, so slowly we got into lentils and absolutely love them. You are right, they are great in soups too!!
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Hannah Hossack-Lodge (Domestic Gothess) says
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I rely far too heavily on carbs so I’ve been trying to cut back a bit, things like lentils and quinoa are definitely the way to go and this looks just like my kind of healthy meal, I reckon it would be lovely with some grilled salmon as well 🙂 I hope you enjoy your trip to Berlin! I’m a tad jealous…! x
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Louise | Cygnet Kitchen says
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Gorgeous dish! I often use a touch of good quality truffle oil in my risottos, it always adds a touch of luxury. I love lentils so I’ll definitely be trying this!
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Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
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Such a lovely, hearty dish! I’m a carb addict, too, so I can empathize with your efforts to cut down on them 🙂 Have a wonderful trip. Looking forward to hearing about it!
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Lucy Parissi says
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I have to say that although I love bread I haven’t missed it much – possibly because I don’t eat it unless I bake it myself… I do miss white carbs like rice and potatoes though… This lentil dish looks amazing – and I totally agree about the kale. Cavolo nero is so much nicer! Enjoy your wonderful Berlin outing – can’t wait to hear all about it!
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Charlie @ The Kitchen Shed says
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Wow, that looks fantastic! I am a big lentil lover but I have got to admit, I am not that adventurous with them. This looks like such a delicious dish though, will have to give it a go!
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- vikalinka says
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  I had to get creative as we’ve been eating lentils non stop! One of my absolutely favourite thing to cook with lentil is Nepalese Dal! So comforting!
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Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
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What an amazing idea to add truffles to this dish. I went on a truffle hunting trip to Italy last year and I had so many truffle dishes – I was in heaven.
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- vikalinka says
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  Dannii, that sounds like such a foodie thing to do! Hahaha I would love to go on a truffle hunt at some point in my life. Sounds like a fun afternoon!
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Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table says
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This would beat any bread dish in my house. But, Berlin does have AMAZING baked goods – so enjoy!!!!!
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- vikalinka says
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  I literally cannot wait for German baking! So excited! 🙂
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Angela - Patisserie Makes Perfect says
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This looks really delicious Julia. I’m not a huge fan off truffle though – maybe I’d like it more in an oil.
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- vikalinka says
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  I definitely think truffles are a love it or hate it thing! I got into them slowly but once I did there was no turning back, there is just nothing in the food world they could be compared to. So unique and I love it about them!
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Aimee @ Simple Bites says
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I can not wait to try this, Julia! And we have nearly all of the ingredients on hand. We’re eating lots of pulses this year. Three cheers for another great use for lentils!
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- vikalinka says
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  We are too, Aimee! I’ve always added lots of beans to my meat, so I would use less of it but now I am just using beans and lentils straight up and loving it!
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[…] for smaller-sized clothes forgotten at the back of our wardrobes! In my most recent recipe for Truffled Lentil and Kale “Risotto” I was sharing how much I miss carbs and especially bread but what Brad really misses is sugar! […]
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