I’m already declaring this my top recipe for the winter of 2018/2019. And we haven’t even reached winter yet! That’s how thrilled I am with the Lentil Stew. I’ve made it twice a row, and I’m not bored of it now. I’ve had it two times to eat for breakfast. My craving for this rich lentil stew has no limits.
I was in the mood for a stew made of beef, but I thought I’d eaten a little more meat than I usually do and thought I’d try making something equally thick, rich, and delicious with no heart. I created the Vegan Winter Lentil Stew recipe following the recipe for my slow cooker Beef Stew; however, I added a few modifications to make it completely plant-based. The combination of fresh vegetables and herbs creates a vibrant, delicious, and comforting stew, begging for some bread to soak the entire thing up. I was delighted when I served mine with a pot made of no-knead Bread,
INGREDIENTS
2 TBSP olive oil ($0.32)
One yellow onion ($0.32)
Four cloves of garlic ($0.32)
Four carrots (about 1/2 1 lb.) ($0.45)
Four stalks of celery ($0.75)
2 lbs of potatoes ($0.70)
1 cup lentils brown ($0.49)
One teaspoon dry rosemary ($0.10)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme ($0.05)
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.09)
1.5 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.09)
1 TBSP brown sugar ($0.04)
6 cups vegetable broth ($0.78)
1 cup frozen peas ($0.38)
INSTRUCTIONS
Slice the onion into pieces and chop the garlic. Add onion, olive oil, and garlic to a large soup pan and cook at moderate temperatures.
While the garlic and onions are sauteing, chop the celery. Add the celery to the saucepan and continue to cook. While the onion, celery, and garlic cook, remove the peels and cut the carrots into half-rounds. Add the carrots to the pot and allow them to cook.
When the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots are cooking, peel and chop the potatoes into 1/4 to 1-inch pieces. Add the potato cubes to the pot, along with lentils, rosemary Thyme, Dijon, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vegetable broth.
Mix the ingredients briefly to mix, then put a lid over the pot, and turn the heat to high to bring the soup to a simmer. When it is at a boil, lower the heat to a simmering level and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes while stirring it now and then.
Near the close of the simmer, when the potatoes have softened, Begin to smash the potatoes while stirring. This will thicken the stew.
After 30 minutes, mix the peas frozen in the freezer and allow them to warm to a simmer. Test the stew and add salt as needed (this depends on the amount of salt in the broth, but I didn’t add any more). Serve it hot and have fun!