I’m already declaring THIS my favorite recipe of the winter of 2018/2019, and we haven’t even gotten to winter yet! That’s just how excited I am about this Lentil Stew. I’ve made it twice in a row and am not even tired of it yet. I’ve even eaten it twice for breakfast. My want for this hearty lentil stew knows no boundaries.
I had been craving beef stew but felt like I’d been eating a bit more meat than usual lately, so I decided to try to craft something just as rich, hearty, and flavorful, without meat. I modeled this Vegan Winter Lentil Stew recipe after my Slow Cooker Beef Stew, but I made a few substitutions to make it 100% plant-based. The medley of vegetables and herbs creates a thick, flavorful, and comforting stew that is just begging for some crusty bread to sop it all up. I served mine with a batch of No-Knead Bread and was in heaven.
Ingredients for Lentil Stew
- Aromatics: Any good stew will start with aromatics for a nice deep flavor. I used onion and garlic (four cloves, but you can measure with your heart!).
- Vegetables: A medley of vegetables adds flavor, color, and texture to this hearty stew. I used carrots, celery, potatoes, and green peas, but you could also try other vegetables like mushrooms, parsnips, or turnips.
- Lentils: Lentils are what make this stew so thick and hearty. They provide a ton of fiber and other nutrients, yet are super budget-friendly! We used green or brown lentils (not French green lentils), which cook quickly, in about 20 minutes, with no soaking needed.
- Broth: The liquid base for this stew is vegetable broth, which provides tons of complex flavor and an appealing stew-like brown color. The type of broth used will definitely impact the flavor of your stew, so I suggest using Better Than Bouillon.
- Seasoning: To flavor the stew even further we add dried rosemary, dried thyme, a little Dijon mustard for some zing, soy sauce for umami, and a little brown sugar to add a sweetness similar to what you’d find in Worcestershire sauce.
What to Serve with Lentil Stew
This hearty lentil stew is truly a complete meal in a bowl that is packed with nutrients. I wouldn’t typically serve a side dish with lentil stew, except maybe some bread for sopping up all that delicious gravy. Try our no-knead bread, garlic bread, beer bread, or drop biscuits.
How to Store and Reheat Lentil Stew
This stew will stay good in the refrigerator for up to five days. To reheat, simply microwave until hot or place in a saucepot and heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until heated through.
To freeze this stew, I suggest dividing it into single portions, cooling it completely in the refrigerator overnight, and then transferring it to the freezer. And don’t forget, always label and date your freezer food! The stew will stay good in the freezer for about three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before heating, or use the defrost function on a microwave.
Vegan Lentil Stew
Servings 8 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 4 carrots (about 1/2 lb.) ($0.45)
- 4 stalks celery ($0.75)
- 2 lbs potatoes ($0.70)
- 1 cup brown lentils ($0.49)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp 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
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the olive oil, onion, and garlic to a large soup pot and begin to sauté over medium heat.
- While the onion and garlic are sautéing, dice the celery, then add it to the pot and continue to sauté. As the celery, onion, and garlic are sautéing, peel and chop the carrots into half rounds. Add the carrots to the pot and continue to sauté.
- As the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots are sautéing, peel and cube the potatoes into 3/4 to 1-inch pieces. Add the cubed potatoes to the pot along with the lentils, rosemary, thyme, Dijon, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vegetable broth.
- Briefly stir the ingredients to combine, then place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring the stew up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Toward the end of the simmer time, when the potatoes are very soft, begin to mash the potatoes a bit as you stir. This will help thicken the stew.
- Finally, after 30 minutes, stir in the frozen peas and allow them to heat through. Taste the stew and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth, I did not add any extra). Serve hot and enjoy!
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Vegan Lentil Stew – Step by Step Photos
Begin by dicing one yellow onion and mincing four cloves of garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large soup pot. Sauté over medium heat.
While the onion and garlic are sautéing, dice or slice 4 stalks celery (depending on how chunky you want your stew). Add the celery to the pot and continue to sauté. Peel and chop four carrots into half-rounds, add them to the pot, and continue to sauté.
While the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic are sautéing, peel and cube 2 lbs. potatoes into 3/4 to 1-inch cubes. Add the potatoes to the pot along with 1 cup brown lentils, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp brown sugar.
Finally, add 6 cups vegetable broth to the pot and give everything a brief stir. Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to high, and bring it up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for 3o minutes, stirring occasionally.
Toward the end of the simmer time, when the potatoes are very soft, begin to mash them a bit against the side of the pot as you stir. This will thicken the stew. After 30 minutes, add 1 cup frozen peas, and allow them to heat through. Finally, taste the stew and add salt if needed (I did not add any salt because the broth I used had enough).
Enjoy your Vegan Lentil Stew with a big chunk of crusty bread to sop up all that richness!
This looks amazing. I was wondering if anyone has used this recipe for Instant Pot and how many minutes it would take to cook if adapted for Instant Pot?
Hi Kerry! We haven’t made this in the IP yet. But previous commenters have: I made the entire recipe in my Instant Pot pressure cooker. Dry sauteed the onion first on saute mode, then dumped everything else in (used 4 cups of liquid) for 15 minutes on manual setting and let it release pressure naturally. I added baby spinach after I removed the lid. It was perfect.
Thanks! I just made this tonight in the Instant Pot. I sauteed the vegetables and then added all the rest of the ingredients (minus the peas) to the pot to pressure cook for 15 minutes with natural release. I added the peas last after the stew was done cooking. It turned out perfectly!! Very thick, hearty and filling. Everyone in my family polished off 2 bowls each. Great recipe! This is a keeper.
This absolutely the best recipe I’ve ever had. So simple and basic but so amazing. I make a huge pot and eat the same thing for days because it’s so delicious. Every single time I make it.
Thank you Kathie!
Thank you, Beth! A great reminder to dip into my lentil stash and get creative. I love the addition of the Dijon and soy sauce; that gave this soup a depth that I don’t normally taste in my meatless soups! Great recipe! I froze two portions for lunches and we’ll eat the rest this week for satisfying leftovers.
Thanks Suzy!
I made this last night and followed someone’s comments about letting it sit so all the flavors meld together. I just had it for lunch. It is delicious! This is going to be a staple here this winter. I left out the sugar, which I usually do in soup. For me, it was terrific without it. I also left out the peas but that was just because I forgot. I’ve added them now so they can blend with the rest before I dig in again. I grabbed some pumpernickel bread to go with it. I think my hubby is going to love this when he gets home.
Oooh pumpernickel bread…YUM! Thanks for sharing Jennifer!
Why did I wait so long to try this one?!?! This was GREAT! My “soup isn’t food” and “food has meat” people each had 2 big bowls :). The only thing I did differently from the recipe was I skipped the sugar altogether. Highly recommend this one!
I love the descriptors :) Thanks for sharing!
Wanted to add another comment! I start this in a cast iron skillet, but then transfer to my crockpot. This is heavenly to eat the next day, after all the flavors have mingled and cooked slowly.
Would using yellow split peas instead of brown lentils make a big difference?
One of my all time favorite recipes! I shared it with my three sisters this summer, and they all loved it. I have never served it to anyone who didn’t like it. Just the right different herbs and seasonings to make it interesting.
Thanks for sharing Barbara!
I absolutely love this stew. It is delicious, incredibly cheap, and heats up well for lunches to take to work. I added a little bit of cayenne to give it a kick. Thanks so much for this great recipe! Will definitely be one I come back to this fall/winter season.
Thanks Nicole!
I’ve made this many times. I don’t change anything in the recipe. The soup is the BEST thing on a fall day.
Thanks so much Shelby!
So I forgot a potato but I did have instant garlic mash potatoes in the cabinet and I added some and it came out wonderful!
Love it when our pantry staples help in a pinch!
Does it matter if I use green lentils? Will the taste be the same?
It might taste slightly different, but the biggest difference would probably be the cook time. Check the package on your lentils to see the suggested cook time. Some green lentils, like French green lentils, need to simmer for about 45 minutes, which is twice the cook time as the brown lentils I used.
This was amazing! Very hearty and healthy. And I cannot believe how cheap it was to make a huge batch of this. One tip: if you buy 1 pound of carrots and a whole head of celery, just dice all of it at once and freeze the half you don’t use, so that it’s ready for the next time you make this recipe. Beth has this tip elsewhere for one of her soups and it works beautifully for this one as well.
I’m with Vincent, this soup is amazing! I’ve made it about a half dozen times as well. I make just as written every time. Seriously IN love. This recipe will be with me forever
Can this be made in a pressure cooker? How would the recipe change?
I haven’t tried this in a pressure cooker to know for sure, but if your pressure cooker has a “soup” function I’d probably just try that first. (use the sauté function for the sauté steps in the beginning, then switch to pressure cooking once all the ingredients are in the pot)
I’ve made this about a half dozen times since it was first posted, and I think it might be my favorite “Budget Byte.” It’s delicious as written, but it’s also a great “springboard” recipe to use up extra stuff in the fridge. Leftover spinach/kale? Throw it in. An extra bell pepper? In. Frozen edamame that I always buy at Trader Joe’s but never seem to get around to eating? Boom, you’re in. Shredded chicken that I have no idea what to do with? Sure! It always turns out good, and it makes a big batch that feeds me for the week but never gets boring, especially since it’s versatile enough to get creative with. Thanks, Beth!