Mexican Red Lentil Stew

$9.34 recipe / $1.33 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.91 from 95 votes
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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.

Mexican Red Lentil Stew placed in white bowl with lime slice and parsley on side

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.

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Mexican Red Lentil Stew

4.91 from 95 votes
Smoky roasted tomatoes, fresh lime juice, and a handful of potent spices make this Mexican Red Lentil Stew anything but ordinary.
Above view of Mexican red lentil stew in a bowl alongside lime and coriander.
Servings 7 (1.5 cups each)
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Total 50 minutes

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)
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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

*The only red lentils my store had this time around were organic, so the price is roughly double what I paid when I originally made this recipe.
**I use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make broth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5CupsCalories: 268.64kcalCarbohydrates: 46.67gProtein: 14.91gFat: 3.41gSodium: 908.99mgFiber: 8.29g
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Mexican Red Lentil Stew placed in white bowl - BudgetBytes.com

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How to Make Red Lentil Stew – Step by Step Photos

Dry Red Lentils in pan

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.

Onion and Garlic in pan ready to sauté

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.

Sautéed Celery in pan

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).

Tomatoes and Spices added to pan of sauted onion, garlic and celery

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.

Cholula Hot Sauce shown to be poured into pan of ingredients

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.

Cooked Red Lentils in pan - BudgetBytes.com

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.

Lentils, ingredients and Broth Simmer in pan

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.

Cilantro and Lime being chopped up

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.

Mexican Red Lentil Stew - BudgetBytes.com

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.

Mexican Red Lentil Stew plated in white bowl and ready to eat- BudgetBytes.com

This is one of those wonderful occasions when “healthy” and “delicious” coexist!

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  1. I mde this soup and it was delicious. Exactly the soup I wanted. Thanks so much for posting this recipe with the step by step instructions. It was easy to make. It’s my new favorite.

  2. I can’t get over how AMAZINGLY delicious this recipe is! I omitted the hot sauce since I have young eaters and was concerned about the heat. After I sauted the onion, garlic and celery I added the rest of the ingredients to the pot (including the DRY lentils). I’m a big fan of one pot meals. I loved how easy this was and how delicious it tastes. I will be making this again in the near future!!!

  3. This is an awesome recipe! Very yummy, healthy, and easy to make! It has definitely made it into the dinner rotation. Love the fresh flavor of the lime and cilantro.

  4. This was delicious. I made it last night. I added some chicken andouille sausage on the side. I’m looking forward to having it again for dinner tonight. I think one of my favorite parts about this recipe is I actually had everything on hand.

  5. I made this last night. It was very good and we have plenty left to freeze and for work lunches even though we each had huge bowls. I served it with some warm naan and hummus. I did make a few changes: My bag of red lentils was a bit more than 2 cups measured so I cooked all of them. I also added a lot more hot sauce, chili powder and cumin. It was spicy but not too spicy. I agree that the lime juice makes it really special and I love cilantro in anything!

  6. This stew is delicious and flavorful. I have to make it again. I’ve shared the recipe with family members who love it also.

  7. I am going to throw all this in my Instantpot pressure cooker and hit the soup button! Sounds delicious !

    1. Did you ever do this? I’m just picking up my Instantpot today and am looking for recipes. How did it turn out?

      1. I made this in my instant pot. Sautรฉed the onions, garlic and celery. Then dumped everything in (except cilantro and lime) and manual pressure cooked it for 15 minutes. Then mixed the cilantro and lime in when it was finished. So so fast and so so tasty. Made a lot of food for very little cost!

  8. I made this last night and it was sooooo good. I cooked the lentils in with the vegetables because I hate doing dishes and it’s one less pot to wash. I love limes, so I also added the juice of one lime into the soup, and then cut up more wedges so people could add more in if they wanted to. This was perfect on a cold, rainy day!

  9. Is there a reason why you cook the lentils and the rest of the soup separately? Do you think it would be as good if the lentils were just cooked in the soup liquid? I guess it would take more time, but I’d be willing to have it cook longer if I have to wash one less pot.

    1. No reason other than the recipe that I was modifying cooked them that way. :) You probably could cook them right in the soup, but you might need a little more liquid.

  10. Beth, this is seriously hands down the best red lentil stew/soup I’ve ever had. My husband requested it again for next week’s lunches. Thank you!

  11. This is going into my rotation! I made it on Friday, halved the quantities, switched out the hot sauce for an adobe chilli I had in the freezer, and topped our bowls with a teensy bit of grated cheddar. Husband and I enjoyed it thoroughly on its own and are having the leftovers for lunch today with brown rice.

  12. Love this recipe!! I’ve made it twice and each time, AMAZING. Tonight I made it for the whole family and added some frozen veggies for a little more filler. The kids loved it (I skipped the hot sauce and let the adults add their own per bowl).

    If your worried about the lentils, don’t be. I normally can’t find a recipe with lentils that I like but this one, so good.