This was one of the first ever Budget Bytes recipe experiments. After browsing the internet looking for ideas, I saw this Spicy Red Lentil and Tomato Soup by Andrea Meyers and it piqued my interest. I changed the spices up a bit back in 2009, and increased them for a little more of a punch this second time around. I also reduced the liquid in this 2015 update because I wanted this Mexican Red Lentil Stew to be less soupy and more stew-like. The result is about 11 cups of a delicious stew, full of color, texture, and vibrant flavor.
If you like my Chicken and Lime Soup, you’ll likely be a fan of this stew as well. I used the same technique of adding fresh lime juice and cilantro to finish the soup, which really brightens up the flavors. You can serve this with tortilla chips, or even a crumbled piece of cornbread. Both soak up the delicious broth and add body to the stew.
This stew freezes great, so go ahead and make an enormous pot of this. Freeze half of it in single serving sized portions for those nights when you’re exhausted and don’t want to do anything more difficult than punch a few buttons on the microwave.
Mexican Red Lentil Stew
Servings 7 (1.5 cups each)Ingredients
- 2 cups dry red lentils ($3.46*)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 medium onion ($0.37)
- 3-4 stalks celery ($0.79)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes ($2.38)
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder ($0.15)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric ($0.05)
- 4 cups vegetable broth ($0.52**)
- 10-15 dashes hot sauce ($0.15)
- 1 medium lime ($0.39)
- 1/2 bunch cilantro ($0.50)
Instructions
- Add the dry lentils to a medium pot. Cover with water, swish to rinse, then drain off as much water as possible. Repeat this process until the water remains mostly clear. After draining off the last rinse, add four cups of water, place a lid on top, and bring the lentils to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, turn off the heat and let sit with a lid on for about 20 minutes.
- While the lentils are cooking, begin the rest of the stew. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a large pot with olive oil over medium-low heat until soft and transparent.
- While the onions and garlic cook, rinse and dice the celery. Add the diced celery to the pot and continue to sauté for a few minutes more, or just until the celery begins to soften.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), chili powder, cumin, turmeric, and hot sauce to the pot. Stir to combine.
- The lentils should be finished cooking at this point. Drain off as much of the cooking water as possible, then add the lentils to the pot along with the vegetable broth. Stir to combine, then allow the soup to simmer over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. The lentils will soften and break down further as they simmer, helping to thicken the stew.
- Pull the cilantro leaves from the stems, give them a rough chop, then stir them into the stew. Squeeze the juice of the lime into the broth and stir to combine. Taste the stew and adjust the salt or hot sauce if desired.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
How to Make Red Lentil Stew – Step by Step Photos
Red lentils differ from brown and green lentils in that they get very soft, lose their shape, and break down when cooked. This is important to the stew because it thickens it and creates a unique texture. Place two cups of dry red lentils (about one pound) in a medium pot. Cover with water and swish it around to rinse the lentils. The water will likely turn cloudy. Carefully pour off the water and repeat the process until the water remains fairly clear. Once the last of the rinse water is poured off, add four cups of fresh water, place a lid on top, and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat off and let it sit for 20 minutes to let the lentils soften.
While the lentils are cooking, you can begin the rest of the soup. Dice one onion and mince four cloves of garlic. Add both to a large pot with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Sauté over medium-low heat for a few minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
While the onion and garlic are sautéing, rinse and dice 3 to 4 stalks of celery. Add them to the pot and continue to sauté until they begin to soften (a few more minutes).
Next add two 14.5oz. cans of fire roasted tomatoes (with juices), 1/2 Tbsp chili powder (NOT hot red pepper powder), 1 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp turmeric. Stir to combine.
Also add 10-15 dashes of your favorite hot sauce. I happened to have some Cholula, so I thought that would be quite fitting. You can use Tabasco, Franks, or any type you like. I might be partial, but I even think sriracha would be interesting in this.
By this time the red lentils should have soaked in the hot water for about 20 minutes and they’ll look a little something like this. They have absorbed most of the water, but there is still some pooled in the bottom. Carefully pour off the excess water, then add the lentils to the soup pot.
After adding the cooked lentils, add 4 cups of vegetable broth. Stir the pot, then let it simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. This will further break down the lentils and help them thicken the pot.
While the soup is simmering, pull the leaves from the stems for about 1/2 of a bunch of cilantro. Give them a rough chop. Cut one lime in half.
Stir the chopped cilantro into the stew and squeeze the juice from the lime into the broth (you can start with half the lime and add more if desired). Taste and adjust the salt or hot sauce if desired.
This is one of those wonderful occasions when “healthy” and “delicious” coexist!
I cant believe I haven’t commented no this yet! I’ve made this like 3 or 4 times already… the whole huge I-dont-know-how-many-servings batch. Oh, did I mention I live alone? Thats how much I love this recipe =P And the other day my boyfriend tried it by accident (I had never bothered serving it to him because he’s a bit picky and doesen’t like the sound of lentils or vegetarian) and he ate it up and said it was my best chilli ever! I was so surprised.
Anyway thanks for another great recipe and also, this freezes beautifully, anyone with thoughts of halving the recipe just make the whole thing and freeze the leftovers in appropriate doses for that rainy day when you get home cold, hungry and too exausted to cook.
Oh! Ha! Yeah, add ’em on in there! I’m sure it’s be good :)
That’s an interesting idea, but I meant in addition to the lentils. I was just trying to think of ideas for other veggies to add that I had sitting around is all, haha.
Jenny – I think that if you replaced the lentils (I think that’s what you meant?) with kidney beans, you’d have a much thinner soup. Red lentils break down a lot when you cook them and that thickens the soup up. But hey, it might still be good!
Just an opinion, do you think maybe kidney beans would work in this as well? Or would that make it too heavy?
Like all of your recipes, this was a total win… although it didn’t quite go according to plan. I thought I had two half-full bags of lentils, but it turned out I had 1 half-full bag of lentils, and another of yellow split peas. Lentils, split peas… whatever… right? Here were my changes:
1. Instead of bringing to a boil and taking off the heat, I simmered the lentils and peas, covered, for 30 minutes. I then mashed them slightly, and added them to the sauce. I brought the sauce back to a boil, covered, and simmered another 40 minutes, just like I would do for split pea soup. Worked like a charm.
2. Followed the spices in the recipe exactly, but had almost no kick, which surprised me. After tasting, I added 4T chipotle sauce, appx 1T sriracha, and roughly 1/2 tsp salt. Perfection.
3. Omitted the cilantro, cuz we hate it.
4. I forgot to add the lime juice at the end, but it was still delicious. We have enough leftovers for several days, so I’ll try it at lunch today.
Thanks for another awesome addition to the recipe book!
Anon – I wouldn’t suggest this for the slow cooker because red lentils break down so quickly during cooking. If you make it in the slow cooker they’ll likely disintegrate into nothingness :P
Hi, Beth. Do you think this soup can be made in a slow cooker? If so, any suggestions?
-Sara
I am slurping a bowl of this now. This is my first time trying lentils, and I am pleased to say I’m definitely into this soup!
– Julia
Kat – I’ll add it to my list… hopefully I’ll have a chance to soon. In the mean time, feel free to email me if you have any particular questions about the directions!
Beth, could you make this recipe again possibly with step by step photos?
It sounds fantastic! I found this gem on pinterest.
This was a huge hit!! I even did a really sneaky thing and added in some totally freezer burnt chicken. But soup hides all flaws, right? Super delicious. Thank you!!!
Thank you so very much for this recipe – I love lentils and tried this today.. I did cut it in half since I have no one to share it with….but yum! It is an incredible soup, I did try it with a dollop of sour cream. Heaven in a bowl!!!!
Thank you for this recipe! It’s so tasty and freezes really well. My husband is a pilot and he likes to take frozen left overs with him when he travels. He said he ate it with some brown rice and it was fabulous.
this recipe is great.. and SO simple. i only had to buy celery and the fire roasted tomatos because i always have the other ingredients on hand. i did cut the recipe in half because i wont eat that many cups alone.. unfortunately i replaced chili powder with cayenne and forgot to cut it in half. so my soup is super spicy but super delicious.
This happens to me all the time!! One pretty important ingredient every time!