Hearty Lentil Stew – for pure nourishment

Who knew a humble lentil stew could be so incredibly satisfying? This dish is absolute staple in our house. It’s very simple to prepare and incredibly nourishing. Depending on how fast of a chopper you are, it’ll only take about 15 minutes of active time in the kitchen. After that, you can let it simmer on the stove while you live your life. (I’m sure this could be prepared in a slow cooker as well…let me know if you try it.)

The ingredient list is intentionally simple, there’s a good chance you already have most of the ingredients on hand. And as with almost everything I post here: it’s customizable. Don’t be shy to add in additional vegetables or make substitutions. I would just say don’t skip the tomato paste! It brings an incredible umami flavour that is part of what makes this lentil stew so rich and satisfying.

Lentils, greens, and even potatoes bring a lot of iron to this stew, and the vitamin C in the tomato paste helps the body to absorb the iron more efficiently. As such, this is a great recovery meal for athletes, and a great dish for helping growing people to get the iron they need.

What’s more, check out this incredible endorsement:

“Mom, give me this soup every day and I’ll eat it every day. I love it”

Walden Forest – 5 years old

This lentil stew comes together pretty easily on a weeknight, but would also make a great addition to a weekend meal-prep session. Store extra in the freezer for nights when you don’t have time to cook!

Hearty Lentil Stew

Ingredients

• 3 large carrots – diced
• 1 large onion, any colour – diced
• 3 stalks of celery (organic if possible, it’s a Dirty Dozen item) – diced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic* – minced
• 1 medium potato or a 6 small potatoes – diced
• 2 cups Puy lentils, rinsed (aka French lentils)
• 1 full 156ml can of no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp salt + more to taste
• 8 cups of water or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon vegetable base (or any veggie stock powder if using water)
• 1 large bunch fresh spinach or kale (organic if possible, these are also Dirty Dozen items.  Frozen works too!) Rough chopped

Method

• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and a small splash of water and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring continuously for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.
• Now add everything but the greens! Potatoes, lentils, stock, tomato paste, salt. All of that goes in now. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft. About 25 minutes.
• Stir in the spinach or kale and simmer for a further five minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired. If too thick, add 1/2 cup of water or more to reach the desired consistency.
• Serve with crusty bread, cornbread, a side salad… whatever you fancy 🙂

Looking for more lentil-loaded dishes? Check these out:

No Fuss Curry Lentil Soup

Lentil Mushroom Burgers

Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash with Lentils and Kale