Lentil Stew Recipe

A hand dipping a piece of bread into a bowl of lentil stew.

4.89 from 196 votes

A rich and hearty medley of vegetables, lentils, and herbs makes this freezer-friendly Vegan Lentil Stew the perfect cold-weather comfort food.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Total Cost: $5.08 recipe / $0.64 serving

Servings: 1.5 cups each

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil $0.44
1 yellow onion $0.70
4 cloves garlic $0.16
4 carrots (about 1/2 lb.) $0.49
4 stalks celery $0.94
2 lbs potatoes $1.42
1 cup brown lentils* $0.59
1 tsp dried rosemary $0.10
1/2 tsp dried thyme $0.05
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard $0.12
1.5 Tbsp soy sauce $0.07
1 Tbsp brown sugar $0.03
6 cups vegetable broth** $0.78
1 cup frozen peas $0.56

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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Notes

*Lentils are what make this stew so thick and hearty. They provide a ton of fiber and other nutrients yet are super budget-friendly! I use brown or green lentils (not French green lentils), which cook quickly, in about 20 minutes, with no soaking needed. Canned lentils wouldn't work the same in this recipe.

**The broth 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. You can also use chicken or beef broth if preferred.

A Note on the Vegetables Used: A medley of vegetables adds flavor, color, and texture to this hearty stew. I use carrots, celery, potatoes, and green peas, but you could also try other vegetables like mushrooms, parsnips, or turnips!

Nutrition