Simple Lentil Nachos is a don’t plan ahead, don’t thaw meat, don’t worry about dinner recipe! If only all meals could be this easy. Oh, and it’s also a don’t spend much money recipe. High fives all around.
Welcome to the first recipe in our Simple Meals on a Simple Budget series!
Watch for more recipes like this all month long. :)
Now you know me. I’m a meat-lovin’ girl, living in a household of meat-lovin’ men, all of whom are athletes who need large amounts of protein every day. So I always cringe just a little bit when discussing “meatless recipes” because while I love that this is a great way to save money, I don’t love how unsatisfied meatless meals leave my sons. They love carbs and can eat potatoes until the cows come home, but well, they definitely need the cows to come home. And then they need said cows to land on their plates in the form of a roast or a patty.
But this is what I’ve learned: While it doesn’t work well to go meatless for an entire day at my house, it certainly is possible to offer one or two meatless meal every couple of days. As long as I try to balance our meatless meals with plenty that are meaty, and as long as our meatless meals are still full of protein, we do okay.
Phew, kind of sounds like we’re high maintenance around here. Nope. Just hungry. Hungry, hungry, hungry.
So…Simple Lentil Nachos. This recipe is ridiculously easy so brace yourself for the simplicity. It’s also relatively boring if not dressed up with tasty toppings. But rest assured, once you’ve filled your bowl with all that you love, scooping this onto a chip is actually quite good!
Here’s how simple it is to make Lentil Nachos:
1) Cook lentils (which is, by the way, effortless).
2) Add salsa and salt.
3) Serve in a bowl with your favorite nacho fixins.
4) The end.
Don’t tell all the other beans, but lentils have become my favorite legume because of how effortless they are to prepare. No need to plan ahead or soak. Just boil and serve.
Simple Lentil Nachos
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 2½ cups water
- 16-ounces salsa
- Your favorite nacho toppings like cheese, olives, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and onions
- Your favorite tortilla chips
- In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together lentils and water.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- Stir in salsa, heating for an additional 2 minutes.
- Serve mixture with tortilla chips and your favorite nacho toppings

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And dinner, done. Thanks!
Some of the most awesome athletes in the world are all meatless, all the time. Just saying.
Yes, including ultramarathoners!
This is so fascinating to me since our family craves meat so much!! :)