If you've been trying to get more fiber lately, you may have crash-landed into a recipe rut (it happens to the best of us). So when we cracked open culinary creator Rachel Mansfield's cookbook More, Please!, we were thrilled to find her savory-sweet, surprisingly simple, one-pot lentil and rice bowls — which will help boost your fiber intake without sacrificing flavor.
"Is this the most random recipe in the book?" Mansfield asks. "Maybe! But lentils always remind me of my mother-in-law and the time we spent living with my in-laws. She’s super creative and manages to throw together some of the most unexpected things, but they’re still warm and nourishing and healthy."
"This dish is loaded with vegetables but doesn’t really feel like a forkful of vegetables, you know?" Mansfield continues. "And the raisins add such a welcome bit of sweetness. This has plenty of protein, thanks to the lentils and broth, though you can always add a dollop of yogurt or some chicken on the side."
One bite will remind you that healthy dinners don't have to be boring.
The Most Underrated Nourishing Lentil Rice Bowls
Author: Rachel Mansfield
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 62 min
Calories: 480
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- ½ cup peeled, diced carrots
- ⅓ cup diced celery
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups chicken stock or bone broth
- 1 cup white basmati or jasmine rice
- 1 cup French green lentils
- 1 cup dark raisins
- 2 cups finely chopped kale or baby spinach
- 1 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs of choice (optional)
- Squeeze of lemon, for serving (optional)
- Plain Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)
Directions
- In a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and salt and cook until just fragrant, 1 minute. Add the stock, rice, and lentils and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Fold in the raisins and kale, cover, and let the kale wilt in the residual heat, 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Add the feta and herbs (if using) and toss to combine.
- Serve warm with additional cheese, a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and a dollop of yogurt (if desired).
Excerpted from More, Please!: Feel-Good Meals for Busy Families and Their Picky Eaters. Copyright © 2026, Rachel Mansfield. Photography Copyright © 2026 by Lauren Volo. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
