In recent years the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet has been recognized internationally. Check out this lentil stew recipe and add a touch of Spain to your kitchen.
Olive oil is no longer bad for you, the fresh produce that abounds the markets makes for delicious and healthy home cooking, and even a small amount of red wine isn’t as bad as everyone always believed. But one thing that people often don’t realize is the cornerstone of the Spanish diet and Spanish cooking is legumes. We love them!
A Hearty and Healthy Lentil Stew Recipe That Everyone Loves
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Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 400g large green or brown lentils
- salt
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
- 10-15 mushrooms, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 chorizo sausages
- 500mL beef or chicken stock
- 125mL dry oloroso or amontillado sherry
- 3 bay leaves
- 1-2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Wash and drain the lentils, then put them in a pan with 1 liter of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- At the same time boil the chorizo whole for 20 minutes in a separate pan.
- Fry the onion and carrot over low heat with a little salt, stirring often until the onion is soft and golden.
- Add the garlic and stir well.
- Add the tomato, mushrooms and paprika and cook until the tomato and mushrooms soften.
- Remove the chorizo from the pan and cut into 2cm thick slices,
- Add the vegetable mixture and the chorizo to the pan with the lentils, then add the stock, sherry, bay leaves and salt.
- Cook everything together for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are very soft. Add more water if it all becomes absorbed.
- Stir in the vinegar just before serving.
A final note on lentil stew
While hearty stews with lentils and beans are very common in the north of Spain, where the weather is cooler, we still love eating them in Andalusia too. In fact, the countryside of Andalusia has been known for hearty stews for centuries. So what better dish to prepare than a lentil stew, using our favorite lentil stew recipe. This dish provides a whole amount of healthy protein, fiber, and micronutrients along with it.
This blog post was originally posted on January 14, 2017, and was updated on July 9, 2024.
This is better than my own recipe. I love to eat this especially during cold weather.
Thanks so much Martin, it is a great recipe for sure, and you’re right – perfect for cold weather days.