Hearty Vegetarian Lentil Stew (Printable)

Tender lentils simmered with colorful vegetables, aromatic herbs, and warming spices for ultimate comfort.

# What You Need:

→ Legumes

01 - 1½ cups dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
02 - 4 cups vegetable broth

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
04 - 1 large onion, diced
05 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
08 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
10 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
11 - 2 cups chopped spinach or kale

→ Spices and Seasonings

12 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
13 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - ½ teaspoon dried thyme
15 - 1 bay leaf
16 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Optional Garnish

17 - Fresh parsley, chopped
18 - Lemon wedges

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, celery, and red bell pepper. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Stir in 3 minced cloves garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add cubed potato, 1½ cups rinsed lentils, 1 can diced tomatoes with juice, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 4 cups vegetable broth. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
04 - Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils and potatoes are completely tender.
05 - Remove bay leaf from pot. Stir in 2 cups chopped spinach or kale and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted and incorporated.
06 - Season stew with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If stew is too thick, add additional vegetable broth or water to achieve desired consistency.
07 - Ladle hot stew into bowls and top with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's the kind of one-pot meal that tastes like you've been cooking all day, but actually comes together in an hour.
  • Every spoonful delivers real protein and vegetables without any of the heaviness that makes you want to nap afterward.
  • It adapts to whatever's in your crisper drawer, so you never feel locked into rigid ingredient lists.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the lentils—they carry dust and debris that you absolutely don't want in your finished stew.
  • The potato is doing double duty as both a vegetable and a thickener, so don't use waxy potatoes that hold their shape too stubbornly; you want something that will soften and contribute to the body of the stew.
  • Smoked paprika is not interchangeable with regular paprika—the smoke is what makes this stew taste like it has been lovingly tended for hours.
03 -
  • Don't be tempted to rush the lentil cooking by raising the heat—a gentle simmer produces tender lentils, while a rolling boil turns them into mush faster than you'd expect.
  • If you find yourself without vegetable broth, a combination of water with a crumbled vegetable bouillon cube works absolutely fine and sometimes tastes even more straightforward.
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