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Makes
2 large portions (plus a lunch box for the next day)
Author Notes
This lentil stew is really easy and just needs time after you put all the ingredients together in the pan.
Depending on what is in your vegetable drawer, you can omit or add ingredients. It would for example be really nice to add chopped red peppers or mushrooms to this stew.
I really like to make this stew with minced meat, as it makes it really hearty and filling, and in combination with the lentils a complete meal.
Start of with browning the minced meat thoroughly in a dry pan. I really like to take the time for this (around 10-15 minutes on high heat) and to make sure the meat gets as much colour as possible, as this enhances the flavors immensely.
In case the meat releases a lot of fat, I take the effort to spoon this out of the pan and to discard it. —Eline - Tuk's Kitchen
Ingredients
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500 grams
lean minced beef (can be left out for a vegetarian option)
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250 grams
black good quality lentils, such as Beluga lentils or Le Puy
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2 cups
(or cans) of chopped tomatoes
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1-2 tablespoons
tomato puree
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1
chopped fresh chilli
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1/2 teaspoon
dried chilli flakes (optionally)
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3
cloves of chopped garlic
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1/2 tablespoon
freshly ground black pepper
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1 teaspoon
salt
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500 milliliters
water (or leftover red wine, and yes: what is that?!)
Directions
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Start of with browning the minced meat thoroughly in a dry pan. I really like to take the time for this (around 10-15 minutes on high heat) and to make sure the meat gets as much colour as possible, as this enhances the flavors immensely. In case the meat releases a lot of fat, I take the effort to spoon this out of the pan and to discard it.
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After that, or in case you don't use any meet, I add the tomato puree, the garlic, the chili and the herbs. I shortly let this sweat to release its flavours and then add all the other ingredients.
Let it simmer for around an hour until the lentils are cooked through. If you use good quality lentils, you will notice that they don't fall apart but have a really nice structure to them.
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