Image via Ffffound

It used to be hard for me to get excited about lentils. I mean, lentils, c’mon. Little did I know that I was missing out on a range of nutritional powerhouses that, in their wild versatility, are capable of some truly wonderful (and delicious) feats.

I love the little hint of somethin’ that nutritional yeast gives this delicious stew; the flavour mingles so well with the herbs and spices, making for wonderful depth of flavour.

This recipe is very flexible. Top with mashed potatoes or kumara (sweet potato) and bake for a while and you have a plant-powered version of Shepherd’s Pie; spoon it over rice or roasted potatoes and eat it as a simple stew; sandwich between two tortillas with a little hummus (or homemade vegan cheese) and cajun seasoning for a quick quesadilla; make stuffed red capsicums or courgette or eggplant. The list is long!

FYI: It is especially good wrapped in a little plant-based pastry (though I do say that about everything ;p).

Leftovers will keep really well, refrigerated and in a sealed container, for up to 5 days.

Multitasking Stovetop Stewed Lentils & Tomato

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large spring onion, green parts only, sliced
1/2 medium carrot, grated
1 zucchini, diced
handful white button mushrooms, sliced
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g can brown lentils
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp nutritional yeast powder*
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
sea salt and fresh black pepper (to taste)

What to do:

In a medium saucepan, gently heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds, stirring. Add onion and carrot. Raise heat to medium and cook 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add courgettes, cooking until they begin to soften, around 4 mins. Add shrooms and cook 3 mins, stirring regularly.

Add tomatoes, lentils, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, dried sage, paprika and cumin. Bring to simmer, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until stew is thick and fragrant. Season to taste with sea salt and fresh black pepper.

Serves 4-6.

* if using nutritional yeast flakes instead of powder, double the quantity 🙂