Rustic Vegetable & Lentil Stew

Hearty, nourishing and a great way to use dry legumes!

Prep & Cooking: 1 hour 20 mins.
Serves: 6-8

Main Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
2 ribs of celery chopped
1/2 cup of green beans, chopped (optional)
3 cups of white potato chopped roughly into ½ inch pieces – I used a mix of tri-colour baby potatoes and quartered them, use what you have or can find easily
1 cup chopped mushrooms – I used cremini, but again use what you have or can find easily
1 540 ml (15.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with liquid
1 ½ cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and checked for pebbles
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups fresh or frozen spinach, roughly chopped

Seasonings/Spices:
1-2 tbsp poultry seasoning – this is a blend usually made up of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, it contains no poultry. If you don’t have this blend and want to use individual herbs, or fresh herbs, combine the four listed about to equal approximately 1-2 tablespoons.

Method:
In a large pot, warm oil over medium heat and add onions, sauté over medium heat until translucent (approx. 4-5 minutes), keep an eye on the onions and stir as needed to avoid burning and sticking to the pot.

Add garlic and carrot and continue to sauté over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes. Carrots tend to take longer to cook than the other vegetables in this recipe so adding them early gives them a head start ensuring they are cooked through and ready to enjoy at the same time as the rest of the ingredients.

Add potatoes, celery, tomatoes (with liquid), mushrooms and lentils, stir to combine and cover with 4 cups of broth. Be sure that all of the vegetables are covered with liquid, if not, add ½ cup at a time until the contents of the pot are all covered with broth. The lentils will absorb some of this liquid, so if it seems like a lot, don’t panic.

Cook, covered on low heat for 1 hour, checking after 30 minutes and stirring to avoid anything sticking to the bottom of the pot. At the hour mark test your carrots and lentils by tasting them, they should be getting soft, but may still have a bit of firmness depending on how small you cut them. If they are soft enough for your liking it is time to add the spinach. If they are still too firm continue cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes, on medium-low and after testing for firmness again, add the spinach.

After the spinach has cooked for 5-10 minutes remove the stew from the heat. Serve in large bowls and garnish with additional chopped spinach if desired.

Tips & Variations:

• If you don’t have spinach or if you prefer kale, substitute the same amount, if you are using raw kale add it to the pot during the last 20-30 minutes to make sure it is cooked thoroughly
• Use what you have, if you have other vegetables on hand add them in, or substitute for the original ingredients list
• Zucchini and cubed squash would both work well
• This stew freezes and reheats well, for best results freeze in 1-2 sized portions rather than a large batch