Hearty, healthy and delicious, you will love this low calorie, thick homemade lentil stew for an easy and inexpensive lunch or dinner!
Well, this was a happy experiment. It was my first time cooking lentils! I guess I’m behind the times, but I kept hearing about how inexpensive, nutritious, and filling lentils were, so I started looking to see what goes into a good, thick Lentil Stew. Then I made my own version!
I must have looked at 25 different ways to make lentil soup or stew and finally decided to just make my own version and add a variety of ingredients (like carrots, celery, thyme, dill, garlic, etc.).
The only HARD part about making this stew was I had to remember to write all the ingredients down as I made it, so I could actually remember what I did. Do you ever do that?
Let’s just say that one hand was stirring the pot, one hand was writing it all down, and I suppose I might have used my FEET to take the pictures. Somehow, I got it done, and guess what? This hearty lentil stew is GOOD!
Scroll Down For a Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page
Lentils Are Healthy Protein-Filled Legumes
On a side note, did you know that lentils (a legume) contain the 3rd highest protein of any legume? True. Lentils are inexpensive AND highly nutritious. That can be considered a “win-win” kind of main ingredient.
How To Make Delicious Lentil Stew
The first thing to do is cook the chopped onions for a few minutes in a bit of olive oil. The onions are cooked until they have softened.
Once onions have softened, add the lentils. It’s important to rinse and drain the lentils in a colander BEFORE adding!
Brown rice is then added to the soup pot, along with 5 cups water. Give the ingredients a good stir after adding the rice.
Add a large cube of chicken bouillon to the stew, crumbling it up, as you add. I personally enjoy the flavor the chicken bouillon adds, but it certainly won’t hurt the lentil stew if you omit it.
TIP FOR VEGETARIANS: If you want to make this a completely vegetarian stew, leave the chicken bouillon out or add vegetable bouillon.
Cook The Lentil Stew
Add the chopped celery, carrots, flat leaf parsley, thyme, dill, salt, oregano, seasoning salt, and minced garlic to the pot.
Bring the lentil stew to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cook the stew on a low simmer for about 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After the stew has cooked for about 45 minutes, the rice and lentils will be softened. A lot of the broth will have absorbed. Now the mixture will look more like a thickened soup or stew.
TIP: I served the lentil stew in its thickened form. If you want it to be more “soup-like” (more broth liquid), simply add a cup of water during the last 10 minutes of cook time.
Ready to EAT!
To serve, divide the hot lentil stew into serving bowls. Garnish each bowl of soup with chopped parsley, if desired. Serve the stew with some crusty slices of bread, and you’ve got yourself a hearty meal!
Even without meat, the combination of lentils and brown rice combine to make sure all essential amino acids are provided to make a complete protein dish. The lentil stew leftovers are pretty amazing, also.
This was an easy meal to make, and my husband and I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch over the course of several days. I hope you will give this delicious lentil stew a try and think you will be surprised how good it is!
Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.
Looking For More SOUP OR STEW Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of yummy soup and stew recipes to choose from, including:
- Classic Beef Stew
- West African Chicken And Peanut Stew
- Hearty Minestrone Soup
- Garden Vegetable Chowder
- Greek Cannellini Bean Stew
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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Hearty, healthy and delicious, you will love this low calorie, thick homemade lentil stew for an easy and inexpensive lunch or dinner!
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion , chopped
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup brown lentils (rinsed)
- 1/3 cup brown rice (uncooked)
- 1 large chicken bouillon cube (can omit if making this vegetarian)
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 celery stalks , chopped small
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Dried parsley (OPTIONAL-to sprinkle on stew as a garnish before serving)
- In a large soup pot, cook the chopped onion in olive oil until onions have softened (3-4 minutes).
- Add 5 cups water, rinsed lentils, brown rice, and crumbled chicken bouillon cube.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Bring soup mixture to a full boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer.
- Continue to cook the stew for 45-50 minutes (covered) on low, stirring occasionally. Uncover the stew the last 10 minutes of cooking time.(*If you want the stew to have more broth, simply add in another cup of water during the last 10 minutes of cooking time).
- Taste. Season with additional salt/pepper, if desired.
- Ladle the hot stew into serving bowls. Sprinkle with dried parsley (optional).
- Serve with some good crusty bread, and ENJOY!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards! 