This vegan lentil stew recipe comes from Andalusia where it’s known simply as ‘lentejas‘ (aka lentils).
Lentejas is can be served as a complete meal or as a starter. Or as part of a table spread to share, where the table is laid out with all sorts of goodies consisting of lentils, salad, fried potatoes etc. and everyone helps themselves to a little of each.
That’s a typical way to enjoy this dish in this part of the world.
This Spanish lentils dish is usually a Pardina lentils recipe, though it could be made with another variety of lentils if you prefer.
In Andalucia, the main type of lentil used is the Pardina lentil, so that’s the one which I normally use for this vegan stew.
First of all, wash 1 of the lentils for 4 people (or according to the packet), and set them aside.
Use the vegetables you have handy
Check out what you have in the fridge and put together a collection of vegetables.
Which Vegetables to Use for a Vegan Lentil Stew
You can use any vegetables you have.
For this vegan lentil stew, I used:
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 piece of courgette
1 small leek
4 mushrooms
4 tomatoes
I recommend including 1 onion, 1 carrot, and 2 cloves of garlic and altering the rest to suit what you have available or which you prefer.
Fry the chopped onion with the garlic and some salt for 3 minutes. Add the chopped carrot and fry for another 2 minutes. Add 2 tsp cumin to the pan and stir.
Next, add the courgette and fry for another 2 minutes, followed by the chopped peppers.
Add 1/2 tsp turmeric.
When the veggies have been in the pan for 10 minutes, add the mushrooms if using and after another 3 minutes, the rinsed lentils.
Fry the lentils for a few minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes.
Add one or two chopped potatoes to the pan, cover the lentil vegetable mix with water and add salt (taste the water to test) and bring to a boil.
Cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently on a low heat for about 45-50 minutes, checking occasionally.
And that’s it!
Serve in a bowl with nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan on top.
Recipe by Love Vegan LivingCourse: Lunch, StarterCuisine: Spanish, VeganDifficulty: Easy
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
30
minutes
Cooking time
50
minutes
Spanish lentils make a perfect warming lunch bowl.
Ingredients
2 cups lentils of choice
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Assortment of chopped vegetables: red & green pepper, courgette, leek, mushrooms, etc
4 large chopped tomatoes or substitute with tomato frito, tomato purée or a tin of tomatoes.
1-2 potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 bay leaf
Directions
Wash the lentils
Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil and add salt.
Add the rest of the vegetables in order of hardness, giving each new vegetable 2 minutes to cook before adding the next. I.e. Onion, carrot, courgette, peppers, mushrooms.
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious looking stew with us. In my part of the world we are going into winter and as far as I concern this is the perfect time for soup and stew. I love it that you use Tumeric in your recipe. I actually grow it in the garden. I just love the colour it adds to dishes and sauces and I learned out of the book of DR Micheal Mosley that it has great health benefits, especially in combination with black pepper. I will bookmark this page to safe your recipe and looking forwards to tasting this Vegan Lentil Stew. Best wishes, Jude
Thank you for visiting the site and leaving a comment Jude!
I also love turmeric. It has great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and as you say, the power of this potent spice is greatly enhanced when you eat it together with black pepper, as the peperine in the pepper greatly increases the bioavailability of the curcumin in turmeric. It’s also best to eat it with a natural fat such as olive oil or avocado, as this will further speed up its absorption.
Thank you for sharing such a simple but totally mouth-watering lentils recipe. I personally love eating lentils especially the brown lentils but I must say, the recipe you have given here sounds different to the way my wife prepares them though the ingredients appear very much similar. Your recipe is unique and easy to follow and the result is clear on that plate, I just feel like I need to taste right now. I will surely visit your site for more vegan recipes in the near future.
From the way you put this recipe together, I have a few questions to ask. Are you a dietician or a chef? Are you just a vegan enthusiast? What motivates you to share vegan recipes?
Lastly, I have two observations. The first one is that I am not seeing any affiliate links in the article and the second one is that the post does not have the name of the author and thus I greeted you as vegan, I hope I did not offend you.
Thank you for visiting the site and for your thoughtful comment!
I’m not a dietician of a chef but I have a keen interest in the food-health link as what we put in our bodies has a direct impact on our overall well being. Many people don’t realise the link between the gut health and their overall health, including mental health, diseases such as diabetes type 2, memory issues and everything you can think of in between. I have spent a lifetime as a vegetarian and some years as a vegan and I only use primary ingredients except the odd gluten free wrap (or something like that) occasionally.
My greatest motivation for sharing these recipes is because I feel so many people would enjoy a more healthy, happy lifestyle if they only knew that they can create these easy, delicious meals without relying on commercial products.
These days, so many people rely on fast foods which are not health-promoting and are often loaded with high levels of sugar, salt and unnecessary added ingredients. I’d love to be able to help someone who’s looking to change their lifestyle, whether it be to lose weight or gain health, support non-cruelty or reduce their carbon footprint.
I feel that now is the time to embrace a new way of living, a more conscious way of sustainable living that supports our immune systems and allows us, in turn to support one another.
I’m sorry that I didn’t put my name as the author of the recipe but I felt it could get a bit tiresome seeing my name after every recipe. 🙂
No offence taken and I hope you enjoy the lentejas lentil stew!
Hello there, thank you for this lentil stew recipe! I love vegan recipes and I’m currently trying to go vegan for breakfast, lunch and dinner and reading this post through I think I’m going to give it try as a starter for lunch. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much for sharing this delicious looking stew with us. In my part of the world we are going into winter and as far as I concern this is the perfect time for soup and stew. I love it that you use Tumeric in your recipe. I actually grow it in the garden. I just love the colour it adds to dishes and sauces and I learned out of the book of DR Micheal Mosley that it has great health benefits, especially in combination with black pepper.
I will bookmark this page to safe your recipe and looking forwards to tasting this Vegan Lentil Stew.
Best wishes, Jude
Thank you for visiting the site and leaving a comment Jude!
I also love turmeric. It has great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and as you say, the power of this potent spice is greatly enhanced when you eat it together with black pepper, as the peperine in the pepper greatly increases the bioavailability of the curcumin in turmeric. It’s also best to eat it with a natural fat such as olive oil or avocado, as this will further speed up its absorption.
How nice to have turmeric growing in the garden!
I hope you enjoy the Vegan Lentil Stew!
Hi vegan
Thank you for sharing such a simple but totally mouth-watering lentils recipe. I personally love eating lentils especially the brown lentils but I must say, the recipe you have given here sounds different to the way my wife prepares them though the ingredients appear very much similar. Your recipe is unique and easy to follow and the result is clear on that plate, I just feel like I need to taste right now. I will surely visit your site for more vegan recipes in the near future.
From the way you put this recipe together, I have a few questions to ask. Are you a dietician or a chef? Are you just a vegan enthusiast? What motivates you to share vegan recipes?
Lastly, I have two observations. The first one is that I am not seeing any affiliate links in the article and the second one is that the post does not have the name of the author and thus I greeted you as vegan, I hope I did not offend you.
Kind regards
T. Manyimo
Hi T. Manyimo,
Thank you for visiting the site and for your thoughtful comment!
I’m not a dietician of a chef but I have a keen interest in the food-health link as what we put in our bodies has a direct impact on our overall well being. Many people don’t realise the link between the gut health and their overall health, including mental health, diseases such as diabetes type 2, memory issues and everything you can think of in between. I have spent a lifetime as a vegetarian and some years as a vegan and I only use primary ingredients except the odd gluten free wrap (or something like that) occasionally.
My greatest motivation for sharing these recipes is because I feel so many people would enjoy a more healthy, happy lifestyle if they only knew that they can create these easy, delicious meals without relying on commercial products.
These days, so many people rely on fast foods which are not health-promoting and are often loaded with high levels of sugar, salt and unnecessary added ingredients. I’d love to be able to help someone who’s looking to change their lifestyle, whether it be to lose weight or gain health, support non-cruelty or reduce their carbon footprint.
I feel that now is the time to embrace a new way of living, a more conscious way of sustainable living that supports our immune systems and allows us, in turn to support one another.
I’m sorry that I didn’t put my name as the author of the recipe but I felt it could get a bit tiresome seeing my name after every recipe. 🙂
No offence taken and I hope you enjoy the lentejas lentil stew!
Hello there, thank you for this lentil stew recipe! I love vegan recipes and I’m currently trying to go vegan for breakfast, lunch and dinner and reading this post through I think I’m going to give it try as a starter for lunch. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Jomata,
Thank you for visiting and for leaving a comment! I hope you enjoy your lentil starter and I wish you good luck on your vegan journey!