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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Nutrition
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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!
Could you use chicken stock instead of vegetable if you’re not vegan?
Yes, absolutely. :)
This was delicious! Mine did not look as lovely as the photos here, but it is oh-so-tasty. And healthy, and cheap, and filling, and basic. All my requirements. I always skip the oil and find that there’s no difference in the outcome. It might look a little fancier with some big, crunchy croutons and a sprinkle of sharp cheddar on top. Maybe I’ll try that next time – because this is going into regular rotation at our house!
Can’t wait to make this on Monday. Do I have to peel the potatoes? Thanks!
You don’t have to, but since you mash the potatoes slightly at the end you might get some rogue peels that are floating throughout the stew on their own without potato attached to them. Haha
Would green lentils work? Also do you soak your lentils at all or cook them straight?
I use them straight without soaking. Green lentils do take a lot longer to cook, so you’ll just have to take that into consideration.
I made this today. I made it according to what I had on hand. Possibly a less healthier. More sodium for sure. I use canned lentils and canned peas. I use only one tablespoon of Dijon because I’m not a fan of mustard and I read in previous comments that I could cut it back b half. I enjoyed it. I found it not to have much mustard flavour with one tablespoon. (Smelled very much of mustard at first and I was kinda nervous but turned out with subtle taste) But because I used canned lentils I think it was a bit thin. I should of used more canned lentils perhaps. I’m sure it has thicken with sitting in my fridge overnight. Look forward to eating it as leftovers :)
This was amazing! So hearty and delicious!! Even my husband, who cringes every time I say I’m making anything with lentils, LOVED it.
I didn’t even see the part about this being inspired by beef stew at first- when it was cooking, that’s exactly what I thought of! Another winner to fill the freezer with.
We LOVE this recipe! We substituted Hannah sweet potatoes and then left out the sugar. So yummy!
Does it matter what color lentils you use? I have some orange lentils in my pantry.
Orange lentils do have a slightly different flavor, and a very different texture once cooked (they break down more, so you’ll get a texture more like split pea soup).
Just made this today with Indian black lentils. Added scallions and daikon in place of peas and celery cause that ‘s what I had in the fridge. This is a great one pot plus fridge clean out recipe. My husband is obsessed with Pret’s lentils soup. This one is very close to that and shall be on the repeat in my home this winter 🤗
Could you use a slow cooker for this? Any idea how long it would take?
That would probably work well. :)
Perfect for a rainy Sunday!
Delicious and super easy. What are the calories per serving?
I’m sorry, I don’t have the nutritional info.
I did it in my fitness pal and it came up to about 200 per serving.
Absolutely delicious! A definite repeat. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
It’s been colder that usual in my neck of the woods (Mojave Desert in California), and I can’t get warm. I made this “stew” today and found it most delightful. I didn’t add the peas as they aren’t one of my favorite veggies. Mine wasn’t vegan, only vegetarian because I reduced the veggie stock by 1 cup and added whey (a by product of making cheese from my homemade yogurt). Prior to serving I added some fresh parsley and a dollop of homemade yogurt.