Hearty Vegetarian Lentil Stew (Printable)

Tender lentils with vegetables and herbs in a nourishing, plant-based bowl perfect for any season.

# What You'll Need:

→ Legumes

01 - 1½ cups dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
02 - 4 cups vegetable broth

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
04 - 1 large onion, diced
05 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
08 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
10 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
11 - 2 cups chopped spinach or kale

→ Spices and Seasonings

12 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
13 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - ½ teaspoon dried thyme
15 - 1 bay leaf
16 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Optional Garnish

17 - Fresh parsley, chopped
18 - Lemon wedges

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and bell pepper. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add potatoes, lentils, diced tomatoes with juice, cumin, smoked paprika, thyme, bay leaf, and vegetable broth. Stir thoroughly to combine.
04 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils and potatoes are tender.
05 - Remove bay leaf. Stir in spinach or kale and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted.
06 - Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust consistency with additional broth or water as desired.
07 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's genuinely filling enough to stand alone as dinner, yet humble enough that you won't feel weighed down afterward.
  • The spice blend creates this surprising depth that makes people ask what's in it, and you'll love saying lentils with such pride.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day when all the flavors have gotten to know each other.
02 -
  • Don't skip the sauté step for your initial vegetables, no matter how tempted you are to dump everything in at once; that brief cooking time creates sweetness and depth that shortcuts simply can't provide.
  • Lentils continue to soften slightly even after you remove them from heat, so pull them off the stove when they're tender but still hold their shape, before they start breaking down into mush.
03 -
  • If your stew tastes flat at the end, it's almost always because it needs more salt than you think, so taste and season boldly rather than timidly.
  • The secret to lentil stew that doesn't taste one-note is layering your aromatics properly, sautéing the softer vegetables first, then adding garlic just before the liquid goes in.
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