This lentil vegetable stew recipe was made from veggies I harvested from the garden today. The recipe makes a large pot of stew, you will have dinner for 2 or 3 nights for a family of 4. I usually serve it over brown rice. You can vary the vegetables that you add, depending on what is in season and grows locally in your community. If you don’t grow your own veggies, shop at your local farmer’s market to get the freshest, tastiest produce available.
Lentil Vegetable Stew
Ingredients
- 1 pound french, brown or green lentils
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 3 leeks
- ½ bunch celery
- 3 small carrots
- 6-8 mushrooms
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 eggplant, small
- 1 bell pepper, red or green
- 4 fresh tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes in juice
- ½ corn, fresh or frozen
- 3 cups kale and/or spinach
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 32 oz vegetable stock
- ¼ cup red wine–optional
- 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper, fresh ground
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- brown rice, about 2 cups uncooked.
Directions
- Chop veggies, and peel and mash garlic.
- Add the olive oil to a medium large stock pot, preferably with a heavy bottom. Turn flame to medium and heat for about a minute. Add the leeks, garlic, celery and carrots. Let simmer a few minutes.
- Add the peppers and mushrooms, cook a minute or two. Then add the lentils, wine and about half of the vegetable stock. Stir well. Continue to cook on a medium-high heat, stirring the pot occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. Once the stew begins to boil around the edges, reduce the heat slightly.
- Continue to cook, adding more vegetable stock as the lentils absorb the liquid. Add the spices, tomatoes, and tomato paste concentrate.
- After about 15 minutes, add the squash and eggplant.
- Continue to cook, lentils will take about 30 minutes to fully cook. Taste them as you go to test for doneness.
- Add the kale, spinach, corn and parsley the last 5 minutes of cooking. Add a lid to the pot the last 5 minutes or so.
- Once the stew is cooked, serve over brown rice.
Food is for enjoying, and sometimes the foods we create and eat are not “healthy.” But moderation is the key. Enjoy!
Yeah, Christmas meal will definitely be delicious, can’t say whether all the recipes will be healthy or not. 😛
Thanks Ema, hope your Christmas meal is delicious and healthy too!
Yum
We must have something healthy on Christmas dinner table too. Finally got your recipe!