Best way to end a cold winters day after a working hard training – snuggled on the sofa with some comforting high protein traditional stew.
Serve the stew piping hot on its own or with one of these traditional sides:
- Creamy mashed potatoes
- Dumplings
- Crusty bread
- Brown rice
- Creamy polenta
- Cauliflower mash
- Quinoa
Now you’ve got the recipe check out the notes to know how to make it yours, from how to choose the best ingredients to tried and tested substitutions for this old fashioned stew.
Mushroom and Lentil stew
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 shallot diced
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme chopped
- 2/3 cups dried Green Lentils soaked overnight
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp corn flour
Instructions
- Heat a large rimmed pan over medium heat. Once hot, add oil or water and shallot and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add mushrooms and coconut aminos and increase heat to medium-high. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add thyme, lentils, and 2 cups (480 ml // or the smaller end of the range if adjusting recipe size) vegetable broth. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook on low for about 20 minutes, adding more broth as needed if the mixture looks dry.
- In the meantime, add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water so they are just submerged. Bring to a boil on high heat and cook for 12-15 minutes or until they slide off easily when pierced with a knife.
- Once tender, drain potatoes and add back to pot or a mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil and mash until tender and fluffy. For added moisture in place of oil, add unsweetened plain almond milk or vegetable broth.
- Once lentils are tender, taste sauce and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt or coconut aminos for saltiness, pepper for spice, or tomato paste for more depth of flavor (optional – we didn’t find it necessary). Turn off heat and let the mixture rest so flavors can deepen. Add the 2 Tbsp (30 g // or more as needed) mashed potatoes to the lentil mushroom stew and stir in to thicken.
- To serve, divide mashed potatoes between serving plates or bowls and top with desired amount of lentil and mushroom gravy. Garnish with fresh parsley, vegan parmesan cheese, or more thyme, if desired.
- Store leftovers separately, covered, up to 4 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop or in a 350 degree F (176 C) oven until hot.
Notes
Onion – red or brown are fine whatever you got will work.
Garlic – if the though of chopping this much garlic fills you with dread, use the ready chopped stuff from a jar, 1 tsp is usually the same as 1 clove.
Rosemary – fresh will always be better but there’s no reason you can use dried
Oil – try to stick to good quality coconut oil or olive oil
Stock – home made stock will always be better for you health, however I’m just not organised enough so we use stock cubes – this is a really good brand health wise
Lentils – We have tried this recipe with a few different proteins and green lentils were my favourite, but my other half prefers beef stew. If you don’t fancy lentils play around with other whole proteins, like beans or chicken.
Tamari v soy sauce –
Flour – plain flour works best, but wholewheat will also be fine. If yo ur avoiding gluten corn flour works really well. The most important this is the method, add water a small amount at a time to avoid gross flour clumps ruining your hearty stew.
Cooking method – in this recipe I cook on the hob, however if you don’t want to be standing watching over it, the stew also works just as well in the slow cooker or in the oven.
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Please be aware all information in this blog is based on my own personal experience and research, and I am not a medical professional. If you are needing advice about a medical condition, please seek advice from a medical professional.