It’s a chilly week here in Michigan, meaning I’ve been craving lots of comfort foods lately to help keep me warm. I’m not a very big fan of broth-based soup, but I wanted a nice big bowl of something warm, so I decided to make this lentil-based vegetarian stew. Now what I’m about to tell you might be a bit shocking, so hold on to your seats, everyone. Ready? Here we go: this was my first time ever trying lentils. I know, I know… I feel like such a disgrace. I’m a registered dietitian and a self-proclaimed foodie, yet I have never branched out and tried lentils before. How sad. But in my defense, I spent the last six years with a severely restrictive eating disorder and barely ate any foods besides oatmeal, bread, polenta, bananas, yogurt, and graham crackers. Now that I’m recovering, though, I’m breaking out of that shell BIG TIME and exposing myself to all of the foods I’ve avoided over the past 6 years. And guess what? I’m finding that I really like them all!
Since I had never cooked lentils before, I didn’t exactly know how to tell when they were done, so I needed to recruit my mom for help when I was making this recipe. To my surprise, it was much easier than I thought, and I realized that there’s a bit of wiggle room when cooking lentils; if you over-cook them a bit, it’s perfectly alright!
While this stew was simmering, I prepared some other side dishes and got to work slicing my fresh loaf of sourdough sandwich bread. And can I just say that between the aromas from the stew and the smell of freshly-baked bread, my mouth was watering and I couldn’t wait to dig in. Luckily, by the time the sides were prepped and the bread was sliced, the stew was also done cooking, and it was time to feast!
I dished myself out a nice big bowl of stew, but unfortunately I had to wait a few minutes for it to cool down before I tried it out. 
The extra waiting time was totally worth it, because this stew ended up tasting great. No, better than great. Exceptional! It had the perfect amount of spices to wake up my taste buds, but not too much that it was too spicy or overpowering. It was so thick and creamy thanks to the tomato sauce and coconut milk, and each bite was filled with big old chunks of carrots, lentils, and chickpeas. The only thing better than eating this bowl of stew on its own was dipping a slice of fresh bread into the soup. Mmm mmm mmmm. My mouth is just watering even thinking about it!
Since making this stew, I’ve learned that I absolutely love lentils, and I have been experimenting with them in tons of new recipes. Even though they have all been great so far, this recipe is still my favorite lentil recipe to-date, which is why I’ve made it multiple times since that first time. I also added sweet potato chunks the 2nd time I made it, and I think it was so much better that way. (However, I may be a bit biased since sweet potatoes are my favorite food and I eat them literally every single day).
Overall? This stew is bursting with flavor and texture, and it has definitely earned the title of “Marisa’s Favorite Soup”. It’s very filling on its own and could easily be served as a main dish, but it’s also great with some sides or re-heated for lunch the next day. No matter how you choose to eat it, though, one thing remains the same: this stew is absolutely delicious!
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 cups dry, red lentils (rinsed)
- 1 (14 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 TBSP curry powder
- 1 TBSP garam masala
- 1 TBSP garlic powder
- 1 lb. carrots, shredded
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
- Heat about 1-2 TBSP olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the red lentils to the pot and stir for about 1 minute.
- Slowly pour the coconut milk into the pot and bring the mixture to a low boil.
- Once boiling, add the broth, water, seasonings, carrots, tomato sauce, and chick peas.
- Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Stew is finished when the lentils are soft and fully cooked, about 30 or so minutes.
