Winter Vegetable Lentil Stew (Printer-friendly)

Warming blend of winter vegetables and lentils, simmered with herbs for a hearty, nutritious meal.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
05 - 2 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 1 small rutabaga, peeled and cubed
08 - 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
09 - 1 cup chopped kale or Swiss chard, stems removed

→ Lentils

10 - 1 1/2 cups dried brown or green lentils, rinsed

→ Liquids

11 - 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
12 - 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

→ Seasonings

13 - 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
14 - 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
15 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
16 - 1 bay leaf
17 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
18 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
19 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until translucent.
02 - Add minced garlic, sliced carrots, parsnips, diced celery, cubed rutabaga, and sweet potato. Stir occasionally and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
03 - Add rinsed lentils, diced tomatoes with juice, vegetable broth, thyme, rosemary, smoked paprika, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.
04 - Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 30 to 35 minutes until lentils and vegetables are tender.
05 - Discard bay leaf. Stir in chopped kale or Swiss chard and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until greens soften.
06 - Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve hot with chopped fresh parsley garnish if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's the kind of stew that tastes even better the next day when flavors have had time to get to know each other, so you're really making two good meals at once
  • Packed with lentils that deliver real protein without any fussing, making it genuinely satisfying whether you eat meat or not
  • The combination of sweet potato and regular root vegetables creates this natural sweetness that makes the whole thing feel comforting rather than heavy
  • It comes together in just over an hour, which means you can start it after work and still have dinner that tastes like you've been tending a pot all day
02 -
  • If your lentils are still hard after 35 minutes, give them another 5 to 10 minutes; older lentils take longer, and there's no shame in that
  • The real magic happens when you add the greens at the very end; it keeps them from turning into mush and preserves that nutritional brightness
  • Don't skip the initial sauté of the aromatics; those first few minutes of cooking the onions and garlic separately create a depth that simmering everything together at once won't give you
  • If you're serving this to guests who eat meat, nobody will miss it because the lentils provide enough protein and earthiness to feel genuinely substantial
03 -
  • Don't rush the initial sauté of your aromatics; those first few minutes of building flavor properly will make you wonder why you ever tried to skip this step
  • If your stew seems too thin at the end, let it simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes; if it's too thick, add more broth a quarter cup at a time until it feels right

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