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Stewed Lentils with Tomatoes

[ 11 ] May 28, 2012 |

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Lentils are so underused. At least in my household. I always forget about them, then I’ll be organizing my pantry and there they are, looking so dry and lonely.

Then I’ll make something delicious with them and fall in love all over again.

For instance, this recipe. It’s pretty simple. Everything is a pantry staple. But the way it all comes together is pretty heavenly. It is warm and filling, a little spicy, a little earthy. It’s one of those things that you eat and it just makes you feel good.

Serve as a side, or as a main with a big salad.

Stewed Lentils with Tomatoes

Serves 4

Gather:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 15 ounce can diced no salt added tomatoes
2/3 cup red lentils
1 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Step by Step:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the carrot and onion, cook and stir until the onion begins to brown, about ten minutes.
3. Throw the garlic in the pan, cook for an additional minute.
4. Rinse and pick over the lentils to make sure there are no stones.
5. Add the lentils, tomatoes, water, curry, thyme and salt to the pan, bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
7. Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the vinegar and serve hot.

Nutritional Information:

WW PP 4; Calories 184; Total Fat 2.8g; Trans Fat 0.0g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 626mg; Total Carbohydrates 29.4g; Dietary Fiber 12.3g; Sugars 6.0g; Protein 9.9g

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa at Home

Tags: , , , ,

Category: Main Dish, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

About heather: Thirty-three year old wife, mother, runner and wannabe renaissance woman striving to look and feel even BETTER than she did before babies. View author profile.

  • Rkjojo

    Thank you for posting this!  I am always looking for good lentil recipes. They are so healthy!

  • Nadiann1

    Do you think green lentils would work? I have those in my pantry.

    • Heather

      Yes, any lentil is fine!

  • BN

    Perfect! I received this recipe in my inbox today and low and behold I did have everything on hand – pantry staples, for sure! I have been looking for a good lentil recipe and this was it! I did have to add water as it cooked down to keep it from scorching on the bottom. I made some short grain brown rice and served the lentils over the rice, which was just right! Note to others: this is pretty spicy, which I love, but if you don’t cut down the curry. Next time, rather than rice, I might add potatoes. Thanks! 

  • Christine

    This looks really good, but I am not a fan of curry. Could you omit it or is there another spice that might work well. Thank you

    • Heather

      You could definitely omit the curry – maybe go with some cumin or dried oregano. Really, just use anything you like. This is pretty versatile.

      • Christine

        Thank you….love both of those suggestions.

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  • http://www.annguthrie.com/ Ann Guthrie

    Delicious! I just made this and paired it with some brown rice (all out of fresh veggies so no salad, hence making something that uses mostly pantry staples).  So good and filling.  Almost like a comfort food.

  • Nurse_krissy

    I made this last night and the flavors are wonderful!  I had green lentils in the pantry, so I used those.  I did find, though, that I ended up having to add quite a bit more water to the pot to keep the moisture for them to cook.

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