Instant Pot Lentils with Tahini
If you have a pressure cooker, you need to make this Instant Pot lentils with tahini recipe. I use green lentils, garlic, and cumin for a hearty dish full of plant-based protein and authentic Mediterranean flavors, which comes together in just 40 minutes. My Instant Pot gets these green lentils tender in minutes, making it one of my favorite meals for a busy weeknight.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 261kcal
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ red onion - diced
- ¼ red onion - thinly sliced
- 3 medium tomatoes diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 3 carrots chopped
- ¾ tsp Salt more or less to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 16 oz cooked le puy green lentils you can get them pre-cooked at Trader Joe's
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water
- 4 tbsp tahini paste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Add the olive oil, garlic, diced red onion, tomatoes, cumin, and coriander. Cook for a minute.
- Add the carrots, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook until the carrots are slightly soft - about 5 minutes.
- Add the lentils to the Instant Pot, and the water or vegetable stock. Place the lid on top, and set to seal. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Do a quick release, by turning the sealing valve.
- Lift the lid and stir in the tahini paste, and lemon juice.
- Spread out the lentils on a flat platter and top with the sliced red onion and cilantro.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this Instant Pot lentils with tahini recipe is to always stir the tahini in after the lentils are done cooking. Adding it at the end keeps the texture of the tahini smooth, allowing it to coat my lentils, and prevents it from thickening up too much during the pressure cooking.
- Stick to the cooking time: Never exceed the prescribed cooking time, as the lentils may become overcooked and turn to mush, ruining the texture of the entire dish.
- Adjust liquid: If I want a looser consistency, I stir through a splash of broth before transferring to a serving platter.
Nutrition
Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.5g | Protein: 12.8g | Fat: 10.6g | Saturated Fat: 1.5g | Sodium: 355.4mg | Fiber: 11.7g | Sugar: 2.6g