Brown rice and French lentils, lentils du Puy, are a healthy Instant Pot sensation that will have you shouting Ooh la la. This fuss-free, oil-free, plant-based recipe gets you from prep to table in less than an hour with minimal cooking and mess.
I was so inspired after the Instant Pot success of my vegan taco meat with lentils and walnuts and veggie curry rice recipes that I decided to meld the two recipes. The result is a delicious mix of lentils and rice that's nothing short of simple elegance.
For this meal, we are going unabashedly French. French, Puy lentils, to the Herbs de Province, and oh, Dijon mustard. We’ll even employ 2 of my favorite French cooking terms – mise en place and mirepoix. We’re definitely on a mission.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Notes
Onion, celery, carrot. These ingredients comprise the mirepoix describing a process whereby veggies are sauteed to build flavor. You'll find it in a lot of recipes including my own Instant Pot mulligatawny recipe.
Herbs de Province. A classic French herb blend hailing from the Province region of France. The composition of the blends may vary depending on the specific mix. But most will include savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. North American brands often include lavender leaves.
Sherry. Once you saute the veggies and add the herbs, you'll need to deglaze the Instant Pot, a fancy term for adding liquid and stirring the bottom of the pot. My preference? Sherry, Mon Cheri. You can also use vegetable broth.
Dijon mustard. The sharp, salty flavor compliments lentils. I used 2 tablespoons, but stick to 1 to start if you aren't sure. You can stir in a bit more mustard after cooking or even dollop servings as a condiment.
French lentils. You’ll know them immediately when you see them. French Puy lentils are small, dark, green lentils. They are nutty and peppery, like green lentils tend to be. What sets them apart is that they hold their shape. This is one reason we like to use them in lentil soup.
Brown basmati rice. I'm a confirmed fan of brown basmati because it has a nice shape and doesn't get mushy. Use another long-grain brown rice as a substitute. I've not tested this recipe with short-grain rice. You'll need to consult the package for the recommended amount of liquid.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- To cook the rice and lentils, secure the Instant Pot lid and move the steam release handle to the Sealing position. Set the temperature to High Pressure for 16 minutes and turn off the warming button.
- This dish benefits from another 15-16 minutes or more of natural release time. This helps keep the rice from clumping up.
Pro Tips
- The initial cooking recipe goes quickly. Use the cooking strategy of mise en place (everything in place). Gather and measure all the ingredients before you switch on The Instant Pot so that they are ready to go.
- Be sure to use a wooden spoon or soft utensil to clear the bottom of the Instant Pot. One of the sure-fire triggers for the ‘food burning’ signal is having food stuck to the bottom.
- Rinse the lentils before adding them. This washes away any dust. At the same time, have a quick look to discard any lentils that are broken or discolored. I didn’t rinse the rice for this recipe, although it's good practice when adding rice to vegetables. Maybe it’s me or the rice, but I didn’t notice a difference.
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Stovetop Instructions
To make this recipe on the stovetop, use a heavy-bottomed medium pot. Follow the recipe as written. Once you add the broth, bring the ingredients to a boil. Then cover, and reduce the heat so that it is simmering. Cook for 50-55 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit, covered, for an additional 15 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
The combination of lentils and rice makes this a delicious plant-based dinner. Side it with a simple salad like cranberry apple and spinach salad, balsamic green bean salad, or creamy broccoli bacon salad.
Side dish options include roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, steamed broccoli, or cheesy scalloped potatoes.
Storage and Reheating
Storage. Place leftover rice and lentils into an airtight container. Refrigerate for 5 days. You can also freeze it for 3 months.
Reheat. The easiest way to reheat rice and lentils is in a steam basket over boiling water. If you heat in a saucepan, you'll want to add a little broth or water so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
Frequently Asked Questions
French lentils are a type of green lentils. A general bag of bigger green lentils will not have the same cooking results as French or Puy lentils because French lentils don’t break down as they cook.
Lentils do not require soaking before cooking, although you should always rinse them. Rinsing rids lentils of dust or sediment. At this time, sort through the lentils and discard any that are broken or discolored.
There is not a direct substitute herb blend for Herbs de Province; however, you can make a mix of equal measures of thyme, oregano, and marjoram. You can also include savory, basil or rosemary.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Instant Pot Brown Rice and French Lentils
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Ingredients
- 1 medium onion - diced small
- 2 stalks celery - diced small
- 1 medium carrot - peeled and diced small
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic - pressed or mashed
- 1 tablespoon Herbs de Province
- ¼ cup sherry - you can also use white wine or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup French lentils - Puy lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup brown basmati rice - see notes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup parsley - chopped, optional
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot on High Sauté. Then add the onions, celery, and carrots. Then stir in the salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies, stirring them frequently with the lid off for 5 minutes or until the veggies start to soften.
- Add the garlic and the Herbs de Province. Stir the ingredients for about 30 seconds until the veggies are covered with the herbs.
- Turn the Instant Pot off. Immediately add the sherry to deglaze the Instant Pot. Use a wooden spoon or soft utensil to clear the bottom.
- Add the mustard, lentils, rice, and vegetable broth. Give the bottom of the Instant Pot another stir to ensure there is no food stuck to the bottom.
- Secure the Instant Pot lid and move the steam release handle to the Sealing position. Set the cook mode to High Pressure for 16 minutes and turn off the warming button.
- When the pressure-cooking process ends, leave the Instant Pot alone. Allow the steam to naturally release for another 16 minutes.
- Move the steam release valve back to unsealing and carefully remove the Instant Pot lid. Give the ingredients a stir and fluff up the rice. Taste and adjust the mustard or Herbs de Province. You can also add more salt or freshly ground pepper if desired.
- Serve individually or in a big bowl. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Video
Notes
- This recipe is made in a 6-quart Instant Pot. The amount of broth and cooking time has been tested with French lentils and brown basmati rice. Adjustments may be required if you deviate from these ingredients.
- The actual cooking time will depend on how long it takes the Instant Pot to reach Sauté and High Pressure.
- Food left on the bottom can trigger the ‘food burning’ alert on the Instant Pot.
- If you are sensitive to salt, you might consider eliminating the salt added to the onions, carrots, and celery. Dijon mustard has a salty flavor, and some vegetable broth also contains salt.
- Herbs de Province is available at most supermarkets. It is usually a blend including thyme, savory, oregano, marjoram, and oregano. Some mixes also include lavender.
- To make this recipe on the stovetop, use a heavy-bottomed pot. Follow the recipe instructions. Once you add the broth, bring the ingredients to a boil. Then, cover and reduce the heat so that it simmers. Cook for 50-55 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit, covered, for an additional 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Susie
Can I substitute black lentils ? I have everything else in my pantry. Thank you for sharing your recipes
Denise
Black lentils would be a good substitute - they hold up really well. I just make black lentil dahl and seriously, I am so in love with them! Thanks for the question and for checking out my recipes. It's really a labor of love and sharing tasty, healthy food.
Rose
Almost made the recipe as written because we had everything in the pantry. My husband and I loved it! The only change that was made was to sauté the vegetables in a tablespoon of olive oil.
Susie
The recipe was perfect with the black lentils! I love mustard and used two Tablespoons of the Dijon and left out the salt. . No other changes needed. So earthy and good. Thank you for sharing.
Denise
That's great news - I hadn't tested it with black lentils and now, you've given me yet another option. This is such a keeper of a recipe - one of our favorites. 🙂
Jennifer
Very tasty and easy! The written directions do not say when to include the mustard. The broth is listed twice, so I figured it out, but you might want to edit that. This will now be added to the usual rotation for lunch. Thanks!
Denise
Thanks for the reminder about updating the instructions. I really appreciate the recipe review and your kind words. Glad you enjoyed it. This is one of our favorite quick meals.
Andrea
I don’t have any dry brown rice, but I do have some frozen. I plan on making this on the stove top and was wondering if I could make this as directed and just stir in the cooked rice at the end?
Denise
Hi, I've not tried this before, but I think it will work. You may want to reduce the broth to 1 3/4 of a cup and the cooking time to 10 minutes. The lentils will likely cook quicker without th rice. If you end up with too much broth, you can always simmer for a few minutes until it reduces. Let me know how it works out. Cheers!
Andrea Hall
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! I followed your advice, only adding a few more minutes to the lentils, and it turned out wonderfully! It made a simple one pot dinner even quicker!
Stevie
First vegan meal I have made where my husband and kids were doing the happy dance and making mmm sounds as they ate. I added chopped bell pepper. Thanks for sharing the love.
Denise
Yahoo! Now I'm doing the happy dance 🙂 Thanks for posting this - it is MUCH appreciated!
Leslie
Delicious, thanks!
Denise
Thanks for the comment - happy to hear you like this - it's a quick favorite of ours. 🙂
Bernadette
Just found your website today and your recipes look amazing. This is the first recipe I tried. I'm a bit of a lazy cook so I skipped the saute and threw all the ingredients into the instant pot. It turned out really delicious. It will be a staple for us. Thank you for all your hard work to make it easy for me.
Denise
I'm so excited you liked this one - it's one of my favorites. And the easier cooking can be, the better as far as I'm concerned. Cheers 🙂