Lentil Stew With Pumpkin or Sweet Potatoes
Updated Feb. 17, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½pound (1 heaped cup) lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 6cups water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1medium onion, cut in half
- 2garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1bay leaf
- Pinch of saffron
- ½teaspoon turmeric
- 20sprigs cilantro, tied into a bunch
- Salt
- 1teaspoon ground ginger
- 2medium or 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
- ½pound winter squash (such as pumpkin or butternut squash) or sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
- 3tablespoons tomato paste
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 to 3tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
178 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 871 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the lentils, water or stock, onion, garlic cloves and bay leaf in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Rub the saffron between your fingers and add to the pot, along with the turmeric and the cilantro. Reduce the heat, add salt to taste, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Remove the onion and garlic cloves from the pot, and add the remaining ingredients except the parsley. Bring back to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Discard the cilantro bundle, taste and adjust seasonings. Just before serving, stir in the parsley.
- Advance preparation: This will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator. When you reheat it, you may need to add some water. Adjust seasonings accordingly.
Private Notes
Comments
Perfect weeknight recipe--minimal prep and cooks largely unattended. I was looking for something healthy and easy, and expected to like it OK. But the flavors were surprisingly complex and it really won me over. Really nice with a cucumber/yogurt salad on the side.
I like some spice and I don't like a strong tomato flavor, so I used 2 TBSP tomato paste and 1 TBSP harissa. It added a bit of warmth and brightness, would definitely do the same again.
Was worried from some of the comments that this was going to lack flavor, however it’s exquisite. I used 2 carrots, 1 sweet potato and a tiny butternut squash. Leave the onion and garlic in for sure. I substituted 1 of the teaspoons of tomato paste with Harissa and added a teaspoon of cumin. Added zest of 1 lemon with five minutes remaining and stirred in the juice when it finished cooking. Balances sweetness of the veg. So good.
Didn't have cilantro but it was still great. Added some chicken apple sausage too.
I added two extra cups of broth, used my immersion blender and some of that extra broth to purée the removed cilantro and onion and it was so delicious! We had acorn squash on hand so that’s what I used and added it at the end so it was a bit al dente which lended a great texture! Already shared this recipe with a friend it’s so yummy!
I was using french green lentils, which cook quickly, so did not precook but cooked everything together for a total of 30 minutes; opted for white sweet potatoes (rom the CSA); replaced spices with couple of Tbsp of ras el hanout mixed into the tomato paste (~ harissa); served (my audience of one, me) topped with chopped preserved lemon (leftover from making a tagine) and some yogurt into which I mixed cilantro, paprkia, and salt. Easy and warmly flavorful.
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