Name: Vegan Lentil Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil; 1 cup (52 grams) white onion (diced); 3/4 cup (155 grams) green bell pepper (diced); 2 stalks (101 grams) celery (diced); 2 large (144 grams) carrots (diced); 4 cloves (20 grams) garlic (minced); 1/4 cup (65 grams) sofrito (optional); 4 (500 grams) Roma tomatoes (diced); 1 1/2 tablespoons (16 grams) Garam Masala Spice Blend; 1/4 cup (64 grams) tamari ((or soy sauce*)); 1 pound ( brown lentils (sorted and rinsed in cold water); 8 cups (2 litres) vegetable broth; 1 large bay leaf; 1 1/2 teaspoons (3 grams) kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; slice avocados; diced red onion

This Vegan Lentil Stew will not disappoint you. Take all of the best elements from your favorite curry or stew and pile them into a pot. Add hearty, little lentils, simmer them all together, and you have a stew that even you won’t believe is vegan- it doesn’t matter if you’re the one who cooked it.

One of my resolutions this year is to eat more plant-based meals. Guess who gets to join me in this feat? Yep! You. Around here, you know that the one thing you can be sure of is that I always make recipes with tons of flavor and texture, which means they will never be boring. I didn’t intend to make this Lentil Stew vegan. I’m so about that flavor life that I didn’t even realize until I reviewed the cooking process in my head that it was vegan. As I was sitting there chewing and minding my own business, a lightbulb went off, and I’m all, “Huh! It is vegan, isn’t it? Well, okay, Mrs. recipe developer! I see you!” (I was talking to myself again)

What are Lentils?

Lentils are a legume, but more specifically, they are pulses. Pulses are crops that are harvested solely for the seed they contain. So, think of a snow pea, which is also a legume. It contains seeds inside, but it’s harvested and eaten whole, like green beans. Lentils are seeds harvested from their plant to be eaten themselves, much like black-eyed peas or beans. Unlike most dried peas or beans, lentils are thin and delicate. They don’t require tons of effort to make them recipe-ready, but we’ll get to that later.

Most, if not all, of the world’s countries, consume lentils in one way or another. My mother loved to reminisce about the few times she ate lentejas guisadas (or stewed lentils). Asians consume dal (lentils) like we in the States eat pizza. Yes, African cuisine also incorporates lentils. Rightfully so, too.

Lentils are an excellent source of food energy. When I was pregnant with the twins, my mother told me to eat lentils as often as I could. They’re a great source of fiber, folate, and iron, which expectant mothers can always use more of. Couple the nutritional benefits of lentils with the flavor in this dish, and I’m quite confident it will be on heavy meal-plan rotation in your house.

Let’s get to it.

What’s the difference in flavor when it comes to the different colors of lentils?

Lentils, like people, come in a variety of shades. However, the most commonly sold are brown, green, or red. Black and French Green (or Puy) lentils are other varieties, albeit not as readily sourced as those mentioned above. The difference between the colors is a matter of flavor and, with puy lentils, the final texture after cooking. Puys are firmer and retain their shape better than any other lentil. That said, when it comes to this stew, I’m okay with the lentils breaking down to create texture. If you’re looking for a lentil to use in salads, pick up puy. For this recipe, though, stick with a brown or green lentil.

I have nothing against red lentils, but I reserve them for certain dishes like red lentil dal. Because they have a very astringent flavor, I don’t like to muddy the stew with the red lentils. Instead, I use brown or green varieties, both of which play better with the other flavors in this dish.

What do I need to make this Vegan Lentil Stew?

The ingredients to make this dish are diced tomatoes (fresh or canned), vegetable broth, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, carrots, celery, garam masala spice blend, tamari, brown (or green) lentils, sofrito (which is optional), bay leaf, olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste.

The cooking takes place in a large dutch oven or another pot with a heavy bottom. To give the dish texture, an immersion blender pulses the finished stew just before serving. This is totally optional. Without this step, however, your “stew” will be more of a “soup.” A bomb soup, but a soup no less.

This recipe makes 6 hearty dinner portions and may leave you with leftovers. I highly recommend making it as written so you can freeze some later or have leftovers for the next day. By the way, this lentil stew tastes even better the next day.

Do I need to soak Lentils before making the Stew?

The great thing about lentils is that you don’t need to pre-soak them before cooking, unlike other dried pulses. They’re so thin that they cook quickly, so soaking them as you must dry black beans would actually be a bad thing.

Instead, sort through them and pluck out, then discard any unsavory-looking ones. Any sticks, rocks, or shriveled up lentils need not get an invite to our lentil stew party. Once you’ve sorted them, place the lentils into a fine-mesh strainer and give them a thorough rinsing under cold running water. This rids them of any field or factory dust and dirt. Set them over a bowl to drip dry a little.

While they’re drying, I usually prep my veggies for the stew.

How do I know when I’m making a Vegan dish?

I’ve been noticing here lately that even people who are “vegans” aren’t genuinely vegan. I mean, I lived a vegan lifestyle for 3 years, so I know what it means to indeed be vegan. I didn’t use or consume any animal products…at all. Many folks who aren’t familiar don’t even know that a genuinely vegan diet doesn’t even allow honey consumption because it exploits and uses the product of bees. I’m not here to judge, though; I’m just here to educate. If you don’t eat animal products but wear leather or make-up, which most are made from animal products, you’re not vegan. You follow a vegan diet.

A vegan recipe excludes anything with animal-made products: dairy (types of animal milk, cream, butter, or cheeses), eggs, honey, rennet, and meat, of course. Any product made from any of those above is not considered vegan. Label-checking is essential if you’re planning to begin eating a vegan diet. Milk powders are common ingredients in things you’d never think of.

How do I know I’m making a Gluten-Free dish?

I figure if I’m making a vegan dish, why not double down and make it gluten-free as well?

Your eyes may have perked up a bit when you read “tamari” on the list of ingredients. The reason I use it in this recipe is that it is a gluten-free version of soy sauce. Let me clarify, Gluten-Free Tamari is a gluten-free version of soy sauce- another reason to be sure you read the label. Even non-gluten-free tamari is lower in gluten than soy sauce is. Tamari, which is Japanese, is also brewed to be more flavorful than its Chinese counterpart.

Nothing else in this recipe inherently (or naturally) has gluten in it. Granted, a particular item’s processing methods can change that, so don’t forget to check the labels.

What is a mirepoix?

In a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer in the pot, add the bell pepper, garlic, and the mirepoix. Mirepoix is a short, French way to say carrots, celery, and onions. It’s the classic culinary flavor base. It’s the equivalent to the Louisiana/Gulf State’s flavor base known as “the Trinity,” which is green bell pepper, onion, and celery, which is also in this base. Both are the foundations for many classical stews and soups, both in European and Gulf State’s cuisines.

Sauté the mirepoix/trinity mixture for 3-4 minutes, or until they look glossy and begin to look opaque.

Add the final herb flavor- found in the form of sofrito– to the pot and incorporate it with a wooden spoon. Stir the sofrito into the veggies sauteing in the pot, then allow this mixture to cook for another minute.

What other spices can I use in this Lentil Stew?

I want this stew to have a semi-Indian flavor, so I add my Garam Masala Spice Blend to the pot, along with the diced tomatoes.

Switch up the flavors of the stew by merely altering the spice blend you add in this step:

Basic Stew: replace the garam masala with this Meat Spice Blend
Mexican Stew: replace the garam masala with this Mexican Spice Blend
Middle Eastern Stew: use this Middle Eastern Spice Blend instead of the garam masala
Puerto Rican Stew: replace the garam masala with my Sazón

Cook the tomatoes in the pot until they have released most of their liquid, or for 6 minutes.

Do Lentils take a long time to cook?

No, in fact, lentils only need to cook for 25 minutes before they’re tender. This is why we add them after all the veggies have had a chance to simmer and break down a bit.

Add the rinsed lentils to the pot along with the tamari. Yes, even if you decide to switch up the spices you use in the stew, the tamari will still be added. The small amount of the sauce doesn’t make the lentil stew taste like what you would expect. In fact, you would never know it has tamari if you didn’t add it yourself. It imparts an umami flavor to the stew but is not at all prominent.

Stir the lentils into the rest of the ingredients in the pot to ensure they are incorporated.

What are other alternatives to the vegetable broth?

Now, pour all of the vegetable broth into the pot.

If you don’t have vegetable broth or stock, a suitable replacement is a tablespoon of vegetable bouillon and 6 cups of water. If you’re not following a vegan diet, you can replace the vegetable broth with chicken or beef broth instead. I would steer clear of fish stock because the flavors just don’t jive the same.

Add the bay leaf to the mixture and give everything a stir. Bring the liquid up to a boil.

How long do I simmer the Vegan Lentil Stew?

After the liquid in the pot comes to a boil, decrease the temperature, and cover the pot.

Simmer the lentils for 25 minutes over low heat.

Check the lentils after 5 minutes to make sure they’re not boiling- with large bubbles that violently break the liquid’s surface. You want minimal movement in the liquid. Remember, lentils are more delicate, and as a result, rapidly cooking them will turn them to mush. Simmer them slowly, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent the heavier ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

What’s the best way to blend soups and stews?

Not only is an immersion blender the easiest way to blend soups and stews like this vegan lentil stew, but it’s also the safest. It’s not the only way to blend stews, no, but it is the only way to do so without having to transfer steaming hot liquids and risk an explosion. That’s not an exaggeration, either.

Besides the risk of burns from transferring the stew to a blender, you have to do in batches; not venting the blender’s lid when pureeing the mixture poses its own risk. Some of us have learned the hard way that when you blend hot liquids without properly venting the lid of a blender, the liquid in the blender pressurizes and later explodes.

The immersion blender I recommend costs less than $40, and it’s the best way to spend your money.

Turn off the stove. Remove the bay leaf and two cups of lentils from the pot. Discard the bay leaf, but set the reserved lentils aside. I like to separate them from the rest of the stew, then stir them back into the pureed mixture to provide more texture.

Use an immersion blender to puree the lentil stew a bit. Don’t go crazy. Just give it a rough blend with a few quick pulses. Little chunks of veggies and whole lentils are encouraged. We’re not making baby food, after all.

If you’re doing the blender method, you must carefully (please be careful) transfer the stew to your blender. Don’t forget to vent the lid by removing the plastic plug from its center. Just place a folded towel over the hole in the lid to keep molten hot stew from splashing you. Puree the stew for 30 seconds or until it’s mostly smooth. You may, again, have to do this in batches depending on how big your blender is.

How far ahead can I make this Stew?

Once the stew is pureed to your liking, pour the reserved lentils back into the pot and stir everything to combine. Turn the stove to warm to reheat the stew as needed.

This stew tastes better the longer it sits. I have made it as far in advance as 3 days and just stored it in a container in the fridge. If you are planning for a large dinner or just need to make things ahead for the sake of convenience, make the lentil stew the evening before and store it in the fridge overnight. You can also make it early in the day and do the same.

To reheat it, just pour it into a dutch oven and warm it over medium-low heat until it’s steaming.

What’s the best way to serve this Vegan Lentil Stew?

Keep with the vegan theme and serve this stew ladled into bowls and topped with diced onion and avocado slices. If vegan eating isn’t a priority, this stew is delicious topped with a dollop of sour cream.

Bread to dip into the flavorful sauce is a must. I usually pair it with toasted naan, but try these out too:

A garden salad is also a great pairing with this lentil stew.

How do I store leftovers?

Allow any leftovers to cool completely before transferring them to a food storage container.

Refrigerate the leftovers for up to 3 days. To reheat the stew, microwave your desired amount for 2 minutes on high, stirring mid-way through. You can also reheat leftovers in a pot over medium-low heat. Stir the stew frequently to reheat it thoroughly.

Once heated through serve as desired.

Can I freeze the Lentil Stew after making it?

This stew freezes exceptionally well.

Packed the completely cool stew in freezer storage bags (or containers) and freeze for 4 months.

When you’re ready to reheat the stew, first, give it an overnight thaw in the fridge. Reheat per instructions in the previous section.

See! Vegan cooking isn’t dull, as some would falsely believe. This Vegan Lentil Stew won’t have you missing anything at all. In fact, I’m willing to bet that it quickly becomes one of your favorite recipes.

Let me know what you think by tagging me @senseandedibility on Instagram and Facebook or @ediblesense on Twitter or Pinterest, or leave me a note in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this recipe on your social media pages and pin it to your soups, stews, or vegan boards as well!