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!
Very tasty. I was intrigued with the addition of dijon, etc. and it added to the flavour. I also liked the idea of smushing the potatoes–to make it more like a stew–as I don’t really like having “soup” for dinner!
Yum! This was delicious and a great way to clean out the fridge. I did sub the vegetable stock for chicken stock and dried thyme, omitted the peas and dried rosemary and added chopped bell pepper. This shows the recipe is a good back bone and can be adapted with what ingredients you have on hand. I made buttermilk biscuits to serve it with and man it was good!
I’ve made this delicious and nutritious recipe several times. I always add a can of tomatoes (I prefer the ones that have basil, garlic and oregano) and a bay leaf.
Easy to make and tastes fantastic. I will definitely be making this again!
If you wanted to make this in the slow cooker, what would you need to change?
I’d need to test that out first before offering advice, unfortunately!
I just throw everything in except the peas and cook 4 hours on high, adding peas at the very end. Probably around 8 hours on low. Only stir in the peas when done or they will be mush. It turns out really well for me, you might want to make adjustments depending on your crock pot. You will know better after you try for the first time.
Hi there Beth, another great recipe. Could you please say which brand of vegetable broth you use?
We use Better Than Bouillon. :) It’s a concentrated paste that you mix with water to create broth.
Made this recipe several times and I love it! I add a little but of mushroom umami powder to bump that beefy flavor a little. I was curious if you could make this in a slow cooker as well?
I just throw everything in except the peas and cook 4 hours on high, adding peas at the very end. Probably around 8 hours on low. Only stir in the peas when done or they will be mush. It turns out really well for me, you might want to make adjustments depending on your crock pot. You will know better after you try for the first time.
The brown sugar ruined it in my family’s opinion, and didn’t put a whole tablespoon.
Yum!
Is 2 Tablespoons of Dijon correct? I’ve got this cooking now and am nervous – seemed like a lot! And it just smells like mustard
Yep! Don’t worry, as it cooks all of the flavors blend and mellow a bit. :)
I just made this and omg I’m in love! I usually make a tomato based lentil soup and often add sausage. I wanted a vegan version for Lent and found this recipe which has a completely different flavor profile. It’s fantastic! I added some corn just because I had it. I think there are a lot of veggies you could add to clean out the refrigerator!
I am excited to make this, and would like to use some frozen mirepoix I have on hand. Any recommendations on how many cups to use in place of the fresh veggies? (Or, if that’s a bad substitute idea, I’ll skip it!) Thanks!
That would be a great substitution! You just might want to reduce the cooking time slightly if the pieces are smaller than the veggies in our photos. You will need about 4 cups total. ~ Marion :)
I love this recipe. 2 questions, do you simmer it 30 min, then simmer another 30 minutes? You give prep time 10 min, how do you peel and chop potatoes so fast? I always prep my vegetables first, takes me close to an hour, maybe I’m just slow? I usually end up adding chilli flakes, but that’s just me.
So I have made this about 6 or 7 times, I’ve lost track at this point. I made it first in November and now it’s February and I’m making it again tonight. I can’t explain how much I love this stew! It’s wholesome and flavorful and warm and the perfect texture, not super watery but not too thick either. You can add whatever you like but it stays perfect, and it helps me not let staple items like mirepoix and potatoes go to waste. I love making a batch of it and eating it all week. It’s the perfect college student meal! If I could marry a recipe it would be this soup.
Delicious and easy. My 11 year old loves this and makes if for our family.