Lentil stew – wholesome, nourishing and filling – makes for an inexpensive and satisfying meal. I serve it in late autumn and winter, using up all the sturdy root vegetables we keep in cold storage. I bake a loaf of no-knead sourdough, open up a jar of homemade sauerkraut and ladle lentil stew into my family’s waiting bowls. I drizzle a bit of olive oil over my stew and toss in a splash of balsamic vinegar, which bring a bit of their brightness to the stew’s humble earthiness.
Lentil stew is peasant food – simple, satisfying and inexpensive. When times are tight and our grocery budget shrinks as a result, I rely on lentils to satisfy hungry bellies and to stretch inexpensive cuts of beef a bit further. It’s something we rely on, and something I love. In making this stew, I favor the French Green Lentil which is a pretty forest green color, and which keeps its shape even during prolonged cooking. It’s a bit on the expensive side, as far as lentils are concerned, so I often substitute the brown lentil which costs a bit less, but offers a muddier flavor and texture.
Dr. Price on Lentil Stew
Those of you who’ve read Nourished Kitchen for some time, know that my family adheres to the dietary guidelines of the Weston A Price Foundation; that is, we eat traditionally prepared whole foods with special emphasis placed on good quality fats and animal foods. In the newest edition of Dr. Price’s book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, the Price Pottenger Nutritional Foundation published a letter written by Dr. Price to his nieces and nephews in which he narrowed down the scope of his work traveling the globe and investigating the traditional diets of healthy peoples into practical, simple tips for contemporary American families on a budget.
In that letter which you can read in the appendix of this book as it is not, to my knowledge, published elsewhere, Price extolls the virtue of lentils and lentil stews:
The protein requirement can be provided each day in one egg or a piece of meat equivalent to the bulk of one egg a day. The meals can be amply modified and varied with vegetables, raw and cooked, the best of the cooked vegetables being lentils used as a soup. – Dr. Price, in a letter to his nieces and nephews.
In his work with underprivileged children, Price also fed lentil soup and whole-grain bread as part of a lunch program intended to help reverse tooth decay and support the children’s optimal growth. Other meals included marrow stew, beef stew and liver – all served with whole-grain bread, whole milk, cod liver oil and a bit of cooked fruit for dessert. And the children’s health excelled, even with only one solid, nutrient-dense meal each day. You can read more about the program in Nutrition and Physical Degeneration as well as in this post by Stanley Fishman of Tender Grassfed Meat.
Lentil Stew Offers Rich Nutrition
Dr. Price favored lentils with good reason: they’re simple, inexpensive and nutrient-dense. Lentils are an excellent source of many B vitamins – particularly folate. One cup of cooked lentils supplies 90% of the body’s need for folate, and 22% of the body’s need for thiamin. Properly prepared through soaking, lentils are also an excellent source of minerals like iron, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Pairing them with bone broth, another superb source of minerals, provides even more nutritional support.
This lentil stew recipe also makes use of the smoky flavor of bacon fat to season the humble lentils. I know you’ve been told time and time again to avoid bacon – told that it’s bad for your heart. Yet, pasture-fed pork and pastured bacon offer a beautiful alternative to forgoing bacon completely. Indeed, the fat present in bacon is largely monounsaturated – the very same type of fat found in olive oil and avocados. It is a wholesome fat. Moreover, pasture-fed bacon is a good source of fat soluble vitamins – particularly vitamin D which is essential for proper immune function.
Between lentils, broth, bacon fat, olive oil and a beautiful array vegetables – there’s a lot of flavor and a lot of nutrition in a simple pot of lentil stew.
Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups French green lentils
- 2 tablespoons apple cider viengar
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped fine)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3/4 pound celeriac (peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch dice)
- 3/4 pound carrots (peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch dice)
- 1/2 pound parsnips (peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch dice)
- 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
- 1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 dried red chili pepper
- 2 bunches mustard greens (trimmed and sliced very thin)
- unrefined extra virgin olive oil (to serve)
- balsamic vinegar (to serve)
Instructions
- Pour the lentils into a large mixing bowl, cover with warm water by 2 inches and stir in vinegar. Cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel, and leave it in a warm spot in your kitchen for 8 to 12 hours. Drain the lentils and rinse them well.
- Melt the bacon fat in a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Toss the onions into the bacon fat, and cook them until fragrant and translucent. Stir in celeriac, carrots and parsnips. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt, cover the pot, and sweat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in lentils, chicken stock, chili pepper and bay leaves. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes until lentils are tender. Pluck out the chili pepper and bay leaves.
- Turn off the heat, and stir in mustard greens. Cover and allow the greens to wilt in the residual heat of the lentils for about 5 minutes. Serve with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I don’t have access to celeriac or parsnips any suggestions for substitutes? Thank you
This lentil stew is soo scrumptious! And, it continues to taste better the longer it sits. I’ve just enjoyed and gushed over my third meal from it.
That being said, I altered the recipe based on what I actually had in my kitchen: substituting in red, halved lentils for the French green. Instead of parsnips, I added sliced turnips. Instead of the chili pepper, I added a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Also, I added cubed, cooked ham, along with sliced mushrooms. And, in the beginning, I sautéed the onions with two bacon slices. To plump up for more flavor, I added 1 tablespoon of Better than Bouillon, chicken flavor.
I pressure cooked this for about 15 minutes: the red lentils did break down, but the texture has a wonderful thickness with a great chew to it. We added spinach to our stew upon eating it.
Awesome lentil stew! THANK YOU for teaching about folate and all its benefits!
This recipe lists “2 bunches” for the amount of mustard greens to add. However, when I made this (and added exactly 2 bunches) I found that the result had about double the amount of mustard greens pictured in the above recipe.
It was totally overpowering, though still very tasty. I have never cooked with mustard greens before and I was very surprised how flavorful (and spicy) they were.
I believe the intended amount of mustard greens to be around 1lbs. I believe I had mistakenly added 2lbs.
Also, I couldn’t taste the celery root, but it could have just been all the mustard greens. If your grocery store doesn’t stock celery root I think you’d be just fine with more parsnips and carrots and 1/2 lbs celery.
Hi Kira,
A bunch of mustard greens is, on average, 8-10 ounces – that’s with the weight of the stems that you would remove. It sounds like you had BIG bunches of greens.
Thanks for posting this lentil soup recipe. I hope to try it soon. I am intrigued by the long soaking of lentils with a bit a vinegar. I usually do not soak lentils first but cook them longer. Is there a nutritional reason for soaking with a shorter cooking time? And what does the vinegar do?
This was delicious! I made a few changes based on what I had, but it was still so good. I almost didn’t add the olive oil and balsamic at the end, but I’m so glad I did.
Great recipe, thank you so much!!
Does anyone know if this freezes well? I’m looking for postpartum meals to stock my freezer, and this looks delicious!
if i used beef stock in place of the chicken stock, do you think it will be OK tasting?
French Lentils? what’s wrong with ordinary brown lentils or the exotic red or yellow lentils like I see at the Middle Eastern / Asian grocery stores in town. I love lentil soup regardless…. just thought it funny that you specified only French lentils. 🙂
I just wanted you to know that I included your recipe in a roundup on my site today of transition into Spring dishes .
Hey, the link for the olive oil you like seems to be broken.
But the stew looks great, thanks!
When you had originally posted this I made it and it is for sure a WINNER. I added to it pastured ham steaks- cubed. A really hearty soup and this was the first time people held their bowls out for seconds and thirds. Not too much left for leftovers 🙁
Hi,
Your lentil meal is shown as nut free. Actually lentils are in the Legume family and are deadly to people who have a nut allergy. We have found that out when my son was little. Legume family are lentils, peas ect.
Thank you for listening.
Chris, lentils are legumes. Legumes aren’t nuts.
Yes you are right that peanuts are in the llegume family however, Being allergic to peanuts does not mean you have a greater chance of being allergic to another legume.
Sorry for typos— on phone and don’t have my readers 😉
Question. Where I live in S. Sudan, we can only get lentils without skins. Any idea what effect this has on the nutrient profile you mention above?
Hello Jenny, I wonder if you can advise me: Every time I’ve soaked lentils with vinegar in the water I’ve found that they won’t cook. My mother taught me to never add anything acidic (like tomatoes) or salt to lentils before they are cooked. I realised the other day that soaking with vinegar before cooking of course counts as adding acid. Will soaking in plain water dissolve phytic acid? I’d greatly appreciate what information you can offer.
Same here.. I’ve had great results just soaking them. Then after they are cooked, add the acidic or salty flavors etc. I do that with other beans too, fava beans etc. for Foul Maddemes etc.
Favorite soup ever!
Any ideas on what to sub if omitting the bacon (we keep kosher)? Thanks!
Maybe try cooking the stew with a little smoked turkey? It would give off a little of that smoky flavor…
Smoked paprika…about a tablespoon..
I also keep kosher, so I made it vegetarian with veg broth and olive oil. Added a head of mashed up roasted garlic for some depth – roasting it takes away the garlic bite but adds lots of smokey deep flavor. Very good!
Finally made this tonight, using brown lentils and celery instead celeriac. Even my dyed-in-the-wool carnivorous 13yo son gave it a thumbs up! The olive oil and balsamic vinegar truly elevate the flavors.
This is just the sort of recipe I’ve been looking for. We love lentil stew and this one sounds delish, especially with the bacon fat to add smoky depth. I’ll also finish with olive oil and balsamic. Thanks!
Made this tonight and it was fantastic! I subbed a sweet potato for the celeriac because I had one on hand. I served the soup with a choice of whole wheat curly pasta or roasted pumpkin. It was amazing. My daughter and husband begged for seconds! Thanks for the recipe!!
I’m so glad you added vinegar! I worked in Spain one summer years ago and we were served this wonderfully refreshing lentil soup at lunch. I used to think of lentils are fall/winter food not hot mid-day summer fare, but with plenty of light broth and a splash of vinegar, it became both filling and refreshing. Thanks for the recipe!
At point do we add the lentils?
Our daughter’s wonderful kindergarten teachers at her Waldorf School gave us a recipe where you use brown rice, Braggs amino acids & apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and red lentils. You separately soak the lentils and rice over night or even a couple of days rinsing them a couple of times and then just put them in the slow cooker. They kind of melt into the rice and the children don’t really notice them. Just one more way to sneak in a little extra protein. 🙂 I love lentils and can’t wait to try your recipe! 🙂
Sounds like a good one. Why soak the brown rice?
made this tonight. thank you for the reminder. i was a little aghast at the soaking time.
learned from you to add baking soda. thats a lovely addition. never knew to soak lentils.
apple cider vinegar for us rather than balsamic,a little bit of bacon on the top and lots of
parsley. sometimes make this with lots of tumeric,ginger and garlic. love to the humble and gifted
lentil!
Can you share a source for organic chicken feet?
S i n c e r e t h a n k s
Maria C. Vallejo
I love Lentils! I even named my dog Lentil!
We love lentil…but make a wonderful bread or cracker with them….. We soak rice and lentils (use half and half.) for 24 hrs. Rinse well. Put in processor and blned into a slurry. We then add a cup of teff to every cup of slurry, adding water as needed to make a thick pancake dough and let it ferment for 2 days. We then add liquid as needed to thin to a good pouring consistancy (we use coconut milk) and pour onto a really well greased( we love bacon grease) pan and bake at 350 til done….10 min or so.
Yummy
ps….the fermenting process doesn’t always seem good!!! lol
that sounds delicious!!
uuh, I got try that Aliyanna,thanks for the recipe
I too love lentil stews. Do you just add a touch of olive oil and vinegar to the bowl when serving? That’s a unique idea, I’ll have to try that next time. I must admit, I’m partial to a dollop of soured cream with my lentil soups!
Love me some lentils. This sounds absolutely fantastic, can’t wait to try it!
ok,,,, maybe it is just me, I didnt see exactly when you add the lentils to the pot. Is it with the chicken stock?
I missed that as well. Do you add them to the bacon fat or when you add the broth? I just purchased some lentils and have been wanting to use them. Will start to soak them tonight, thanks so much for the recipe!
Step 3 is when you add in lentils, along with broth, chili pepper and bay leaves. I’m wondering if i can use red lentils or would that give it too weird of a flavor? Any recipes for red lentils? Great recipe. I plan to try it this weekend.
I have a favorite version of red lentil soup, thanks to Catherine Newman, found it here http://benandbirdy.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-lentil-soup-and-other-thoughts.html
I soak them first though if I remember.
I use any color of lentils and sometimes even mix them up.
In Indian grocery store they come in yellow, red, green, brown colors…just make sure they all cooked through. I love mine cooked till they become mushy – they better digest this way and along with soaking them it greatly reduces the formation of gas in the belly. I also like to add garlic and tomato to my stew.
I love anything with lentils! My German mother made lentil stew throughout my childhood. She made hers with a little added beef sometimes. My mother also added a little sugar along with the vinegar. Instead of sugar…agave nectar could be used….just a spoonful or so. It makes the lentil soup a little sweet and sour. Making it that way brings back a lot of fond memories for me. Try it you may find out you like it too.
That sounds interesting. I would use honey or maple syrup rather than agave nectar. Weston A. Price Foundation does not recommend Agave nectar as it is highly processed and not healthy. It is basically the same thing as HFCS is, only not from corn.
I have made this recipe a few times now. It is very good. I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker, I’ve just cooked it in a large stainless pot on my stove. I like to make it on the weekend to take to work for lunch for the whole week. I never get sick of it!
Perfect. We are on grocery budget high alert this month so lentils are great idea!
Lentil soup is a standby for us too. I love the picture of the lentils in water.
Love lentils and stews! Great combo!
I *adore* lentil pretty much anything!
Your recipe looks simple and beautiful – I will give it a try!
I’ve actually been trying to recreate a lentil soup I had in Spain a couple of years ago. It was almost like a cream of or pureed lentil soup – I got it in a small town in the hills, I don’t speak the language (even though I’m there often!), and couldn’t get them to understand I’d died and gone to heaven! LOL!
Anyway – thank you! Looking forward to trying this out soon!
Looks super yummy! Lentil soup is one of my all time favorites! I am going to have to soak them next time!