Lentil Stew

Hearty Lentil Stew

I have been meaning to make a lentil stew or soup for awhile now, but I had so many different recipes that I just hadn't decided which one to use.

So I read them all out and made my own.

This was an absolutely delicious stew, served with fresh baked crusty Italian bread.
A great appetizer, or even a meal in itself.

I combined 5 different recipes to create this stew, many of which were very similar.
The only ingredient common to most of the recipes that I did not use, was 2 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes.  Since my boys aren't big tomato fans, I just omitted this ingredient - although I'm sure it would be a great addition.

I started by sauteing garlic cloves, chopped onion, carrot, potato, and celery in olive oil for about 10 minutes until the vegetables were tender.  I seasoned with garlic powder, sea salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and Italian seasonings.  I then added soy sauce and let it heat through.

Then I added in 8 cups of vegetable broth and the lentils and let it boil. 
I reduced the heat to simmer and partially covered the pot, letting it simmer for 40 minutes until the lentils were soft.

I believe everyone had seconds, and the warm bread with the soup was just perfect!

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!