Hearty Red Lentil Stew [Stove, Crockpot, IP]
This hearty red lentil stew is thick, flavorful, packed with veggies, and loaded with plant-based protein, fiber, and nutrients to warm your belly and satisfy without weighing you down! Just one pot under an hour makes this frugal, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan stew (crock pot and Instant Pot methods included)!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 331kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil or any cooking oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1-2 stalks celery sliced (optional)
- 4-5 cremini mushrooms quartered or sliced (optional)
- 1-2 carrots sliced
- 1 small russet potato chopped (or any potato, including sweet potato)
- 1 cup (190 g) red lentils uncooked, no need to soak
- 4 cups (960 ml) vegetable broth 1 carton
- 1 medium tomato chopped (or a few plum tomatoes)
- 5-6 kale leaves de-stemmed and chopped (or any cooking green)
- ½ cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
- 1-2 Tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) balsamic vinegar to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sort through the red lentils to remove any debris, then rinse them.
- Dice the onion, slice the celery and carrots, quarter the mushrooms, chop the potato, tomato, and garlic, and de-stem and chop the kale.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, celery, mushrooms, and carrots.
- Add the potato and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Stir in the red lentils and vegetable broth.
- Add the tomato and kale and stir well. The liquid should sit about ½ inch (1 cm) above the lentils and vegetables, so add a little water if needed.
- Bring to a gentle boil for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook undisturbed for 30 to 40 minutes, until the lentils and tomato have broken down and the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the nutritional yeast and balsamic vinegar.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then serve hot.
Notes
- Slow cooker: Complete steps 1 through 5 on the stove, then transfer everything to a slow cooker with the lentils, broth, tomato, and kale. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours, adding more broth if needed, then stir in the nutritional yeast, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Instant Pot: Use the sauté setting for steps 3 through 5, then add the lentils, broth, tomato, and kale. Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes, do a quick release, and stir in the remaining ingredients.
- The size and shape of the chopped veggies change the texture of the stew.
- Red lentils break down, so this stew is naturally thick. Add extra broth for a thinner stew.
- Stir often so the lentils and vegetables don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Optional add-ins: broccoli, cauliflower, peas, cabbage, kohlrabi, corn, beans, smoked paprika, or fresh herbs.
- Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thank you to Renee Press for developing this delicious recipe!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.6g | Sodium: 1580mg | Potassium: 1231mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6692IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 5mg
