If you are a veggie lover, this recipe is for you!
Lentil stew with a million vegetables in it!
This is one of those recipes where you feel super healthy and full of energy when you’re done eating, not the slightest bit sluggish or weighed down. It’s perfect for starting the new year off on a healthy foot… especially if your new year’s resolution is to eat more veggies.
The stew has a million of them, remember?
Eh, close enough. 
A few days before Christmas, I stocked up on a million veggies (with an emphasis on mushrooms) from the Asian market, and this stew was a way to use them all up! The recipe is adapted from a lentil tagine recipe found in The Whole Foods Cookbook, and it’s the same lentil-veggie stew pictured in the post about what I ate for Christmas dinner.
“1 Million Dollar” Vegetable Stew
(with an option for slow-cooker lentil stew)
- 1.5 cups onion, chopped (190g)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (15g)
- 3 tbsp olive oil (If desired, you can get away with 1 tbsp. Technically you can omit; it will just be better and more flavorful with the oil)
- 1 1/2 cups bell peppers, sliced or diced (350g)
- 4-6 carrots, sliced (95g)
- 1 cup celery, chopped (140g)
- 6 cups sliced mushrooms (Any variety will do; feel free to mix and match. I used 300g button mushrooms, 150g portabellas, and 350g shiitakes)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (30g)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (30g)
- 2 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/3 cup dry lentils (200g) (See nutrition link below for all substitution notes)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (360g)
- 2 15oz cans diced tomatoes (I used regular, not unsalted.)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 5oz box raw spinach
- 1 1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest (important)
Heat a large saucepan, then add the oil and onion. Sauté 5 minutes, until onions begin to brown. Add the garlic, peppers, carrots, and celery, and cook 5 more minutes. Then add everything else up to the cumin, and cook 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Now add all but the spinach and lemon zest. (If you have a crockpot, you can transfer the ingredients to your crockpot at this time.) Cover and cook on low until the lentils are soft and have absorbed most of the liquid– it takes about an hour on the stovetop. Time will vary if you use a slow cooker, depending on the strength and size of your particular crock pot. Add spinach and lemon at the very end, and cook 2-3 minutes until the spinach wilts. This recipe makes 8 servings (or 6 larger “Katie-sized” servings).
View Lentil Stew Nutrition Facts
Also see above link for substitution notes.
Wow! There are about a “million” veggies in there! Looks yummy! Lentil soup is a staple in my house-I make it at least once a week or two! I always feel “healthy” when I eat one of my quinoa, lentil or soup/stew recipes…and I love making them kid-friendly so my son can eat me too (and feel just as healthy!).
Do you soak the lentils first or just rinse them before adding them to the pot?
Lentils don’t need to be soaked. Just sort through them (picking out any odd pebbles) and give them a good rinse
I love the pictures of the peppers and the picture of you and your sister! There are about a million vegetables in here, but I do think I will try it soon. Mushrooms really add a meaty-quality to vegetarian dishes that I just love.
this look great ! i love yours and your sisters dresses there adorable !! eating healthy fresh makes me just feel great !
Such a pretty picture of you!
Love the recipe. Easy and satisfying…
Oh, one question: How many people can eat from that recipe? =)
Heart 🙂
That looks divine! Do you have any ideas for replacement veggies for those who don’t like mushrooms? The boyfriend hates them! Peas, maybe?
I am wondering about replacements for mushrooms also. My husband and I love most vegetables, but dislike mushrooms.
Yes, peas would work great… maybe not for all three cups, though. Try a mix of peas and carrots and maybe even some bell peppers or perhaps even cauliflower.
There’s actual proof (well… one scientific study) that warm soup helps deminish the cause of some cold symptoms! A nice brothy soup always makes me feel great (even if it’s just because science told me it should).
First, I love your dress! 🙂
I feel healthy with lots of fresh veggies (like spinach and kale) and legumes, especially lentils. Plus, after a powerful workout. =D
And I am definitely making this recipe–as soon as I get the mushrooms.
I cannot tell you how perfect the timing of this recipe is! I am 7 months pregnant and have just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. (I am an “old” mother at 36!) I have to eat lots more veggies and complex carbs now. I also work 3 part time jobs in addition to taking care of my other 2 children so slow cooker recipes are a life saver! Thank you so much!
I was hoping you’d post this recipe. Thanks.
A lot fresh fruit and veggies make me feel balanced, whether they be in a smoothie, salad, soup or just as is.
I’d have to go with green smoothies! Love that picture you too!
Cannot wait to finish up what’s already in the fridge so I can make this! Sounds wondrous!
Katie,
This is a great recipe…along with all of your others, of course!
I just finished making this and it is delicious!! I didn’t have any mushrooms, so I added 3 cups of frozen yellow squash I had from my garden in the spring. It turned out great & I am planning on serving it over mashed cauliflower for dinner tonight.
Thanks for all of your healthy alternatives you have created. In this big world it’s nice to know I can always find a healthy and delicious recipe from you! 🙂
This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try it!
As far as my favorite “feel healthy” dishes, I also love miso soup! My concoction is somewhat similar to your recipe, and I also add carrots and leeks, a tradition that started when I was feeling sick and just grabbed vegetables that looked like they’d made a nice big pot of magic soup (lol). If I’m lazy and/or don’t feel like buying an actual tub of miso, I just add a couple of miso soup mix packets to the vegetable broth (shhh, don’t tell!). If I’m feeling really under the weather, I’ll eat a bunch of the soup and down carrot orange apple juice like it’s my job … my it’s just psychosomatic, but most of the time if I feel a cold or something coming on, if I eat/drink these two things and then head to bed, I wake up feeling all better again!
I also always feel fantastic when I start the day with green juice — my favorite combo is romaine, kale, celery, lemon, green apple & ginger. YUM!