High-Protein Roasted Lentils & Quinoa Bowl

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This antioxidant-packed High-Protein Roasted Lentils & Quinoa Bowl recipe is perfect for meal prep! Crunchy, creamy, tangy, healthy, and delicious. Topped with a longevity-boosting tomato chutney rich in lycopene, and a creamy vegan yogurt sauce.

High-Protein Roasted Lentils & Quinoa Bowl with pickled carrots, and yogurt sauce with tomato chutney in a white bowl.

Made with all healthful and flavorful ingredients, this recipe will quickly become a family favorite. Roasting lentils is a game changer. You will start to love lentils after trying this cooking method.

This recipe was inspired by my protein-packed Barley Risotto, and this Healthy High-Protein Meal-Prep Salad on my site. You might also enjoy this High-Protein Roasted Broccoli Salad.

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👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🥕 Substitutions
📖 How to Make Roasted Lentils & Quinoa Bowl
✔️ Expert Tips
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽️ Related Recipes
🫙Pairing
👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Green or brown lentils:

Cooked green lentils draining in a large mesh sieve over a glass bowl.

White, red, or tricolored quinoa (cooked or dry):

Tricolor quinoa, red quinoa, and white quinoa in three glass jars.

For the tomato chutney:

Tomatoes, green chili peppers, mustard seeds, spices, garlic, and ginger on a gray backdrop.

Tomatoes
Ginger
Garlic
Green chili pepper
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds (optional)
Turmeric
Black pepper
Red chili powder or cayenne (optional)
Lemon juice
Agave or maple syrup

For the yogurt sauce (optional):

Fresh dill, tahini, yogurt, garlic, and lemon.

Yogurt
Tahini
Garlic
Lemon zest and juice
Salt and pepper to taste

See the recipe card for quantities.

🥕 Substitutions

Lentils - Use French lentils or any green or brown lentils
Quinoa - substitute with kamut, farro, or barley
Yogurt tahini dressing - use unsweetened plain cashew yogurt instead or one of my healthy vegan dressings of your choice
Longevity-boosting ingredients - add long pepper and black cumin seeds to the tomato chutney
Pickled veggies - add pickled carrots or pickled red onions for the health benefits of vinegar and a tasty tang

For more healthy bowls, visit my Veggie Bowls recipes page.

📖 How to Make Roasted Lentils & Quinoa Bowl

For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. This is an overview.

White quinoa in the inner pot of an Instant Pot with water.

Step 1: Cook the quinoa in a saucepan, rice cooker, or Instant Pot. (See how to cook quinoa to perfection here.)

Cooked green lentils in a stainless steel saucepan with water and a large spoon.

Step 2: Cook the lentils until al dente and drain well. (See how to cook lentils to perfection here.)

Crispy roasted lentils on a white baking sheet.

Step 3: Transfer the lentils to a baking sheet. Add a drizzle of olive oil and season. Bake at 400ºF for about 20 minutes, or until crispy, tossing them after 10 minutes.

Tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, and green chilis cooking in a black cast iron skillet.

Step 4: Make the tomato chutney. (Use this chopper to save time.) Cook the mustard seeds, cumin seeds (optional), garlic, ginger, chili pepper, and tomatoes. Then add the spices and mix. Add lemon juice, salt, and maple syrup to taste.

Spiced yogurt sauce with lemon zest and microplane.

Step 5: Make the Tahini Yogurt Sauce or use unsweetened plain cashew or coconut yogurt.

Pickled carrots in a glass pickle jar with spices.

Step 6: Pickle some carrots or red onions (optional).

✔️ Expert Tips

Use this chopper for the garlic, ginger, and green chili peppers to save time.
Cook the lentils until al dente. Do not overcook them or they will not get crispy.
Spread the lentils onto a baking sheet in an even layer for best results. You may need two baking sheets.
To boost longevity, add long pepper and ground black cumin seeds (nigella seeds) to the tomato chutney. Add the turmeric after removing the chutney from the heat to preserve the antioxidants.
Adding the turmeric: If you add the turmeric with the aromatics and cook it, the taste will be less strong, and you will still get some of the antioxidant benefits. However, for maximum health benefits, add it after cooking the chutney.
For cooking the quinoa, see this post on how to cook quinoa.
Meal prep the components for this High-Protein Roasted Lentils & Quinoa Bowl recipe ahead of time. Refrigerate for up to 5 days and combine for serving. Add chopped avocado for serving as desired.
Add pickled carrots or pickled red onions for the health benefits of vinegar and a tasty tang.
Use unsweetened plain cashew yogurt instead of the yogurt tahini sauce to save time.
Storage: Refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

Does heating turmeric reduce its antioxidant properties?

Curcumin appears to play a role in helping to block every stage of cancer transformation, proliferation, and invasion. It may even help before carcinogens even get into our cells.
While studies have found that cooked curcuminoids still possess antioxidant activity, they are reduced by higher temperatures and oxygen exposure.

Are cooked tomatoes more nutritious than raw ones?

We get more lycopene per gram from cooked tomatoes versus raw. Lycopene is the red pigment in tomatoes. It is a potent antioxidant and may help fight depression, heart disease, and cancer.

Is it healthy to add avocado?

Avocado consumption is associated with better diet quality and nutrient intake, and lower metabolic syndrome risk. Add chopped avocado for serving as desired.