Lentil and Orzo Stew With Roasted Eggplant
- Total Time
- 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½pounds eggplant (2 small or 1 large, skin on, or peeled, if desired), chopped into 1-inch pieces
- ¼cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1medium carrot, finely chopped
- 1medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2celery stalks, finely chopped
- 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 1cup dried lentils (green, black or brown)
- 5cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
- ½cup orzo or other small pasta, such as ditalini, stelline or macaroni
- Zest and juice from 1 lemon, plus 4 lemon wedges for garnish
- ¼cup shaved ricotta salata or crumbled feta
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
616 calories; 27 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 1538 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
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with ¼ cup olive oil and crushed coriander seeds until coated; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until eggplant is tender and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, giving the baking sheet a shake halfway through roasting to toss the eggplant pieces for even cooking.
- Step 2
In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add the carrot, onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste begins to darken on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Stir in the lentils until coated. Pour in stock or water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the type and age of lentils you use.
- Step 5
Stir in the orzo and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice.
- Step 6
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the roasted eggplant pieces and large shavings of ricotta salata, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
Private Notes
Comments
This is a wonderful dish; however, the photo accompanying the recipe doesn't seem to reflect the instructions; the eggplant looks more like slices than chopped 1" pieces; the carrots don't look finely chopped; and the stew looks more soupy and too red for 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
I made a few modifications - I put in a can of low sodium white northern beans, which I think I will now use to replace the orzo. I also put in a few slices of leftover turkey polska kielbasa. Do NOT skip the eggplant - it was an amazing addition - I treated the slices like a baguette slice I would eat with soup and wish I had made more.
This is a delicious recipe. I made it as written, choosing vegetable broth (I like Better Than Bouillon for this), brown lentils. tricolor orzo, and a goat-milk feta cheese as the topping. The lemon zest & juice were plenty, and neither my husband nor I found it necessary to add more. This, by the way, is a really important component. The lemon really brings together the other flavors & makes them all pop. I peeled & cubed the eggplant. This is also a key ingredient; it adds buttery umami.
Really good, pretty simple. Great leftovers. We found the eggplant skin was too thick/chewy, maybe different variety next time. Used a combo of cumin and harissa with tomato paste to liven up the flavor. I used both ground coriander and crushed seeds on eggplant. Used french lentils and the time to get soft was way longer. Used a can of navy beans instead of orzo, which we liked. Like a lot of commenters, I added 2 more cups of water as this cooked, and it was still a stew rather than a soup. I might experiment with other spice profiles, the coriander was a little floral for us.
This is one of my go-to plant based recipes. I usually sub the whole coriander for a tsp of ground (prefer the texture), and add some paprika to the eggplant for color. I also add a little extra tomato paste and a bay leaf.
I wanted to get some sweet pepper into the mix so I added a tablespoon of Aji Amarillo sauce to the tomato paste and garlic addition. It wasn’t standout, but rather added depth to the overall mix. I’d do it again. Otherwise, nice recipe, will add it to my box!
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