French Lentil Stew – Meatless Monday Recipe

We are still enjoying our Meatless Mondays over here at our house. It’s been fun finding and trying new recipes each week. My favorite part has definitely been cutting back on our grocery bill each week by omitting meat in at least one meal.

Last week we tried a lentil stew recipe and it was so filling we didn’t even need a side dish. I love meals that only use one pot to make and can be served in a single bowl. Mostly because it means less dishes to wash! I really, really dislike doing the dishes.

To save time I use pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s. I’m all about time-saving ingredients and these pre-cooked lentils our a staple item at our house. They are located in the cold produce section at our local Trader Joe’s but I know other grocery stores typically have pre-cooked lentils available. Otherwise, you can purchase dry lentils and just cook them according to the instructions on the bag. They are easy to prepare and don’t require overnight soaking like some other beans/legumes. They take about 20 minutes to prepare if buying dried lentils, so adjust your meal prep accordingly.

The combination of hearty lentils with the nutty mushrooms and savory spinach is absolutely delicious. It’s such a filling dish, that we each had one bowl and it was enough to be our entire meal. I served ours with a dollop of plain greek yogurt on top and some bread that I toasted and chopped into cubes.

This stew saves really well in the fridge if you make extras and reheat them for leftovers the next day.

French Lentil Stew Recipe Review ~

I give this dish a 9 out of 10. It’s fairly simple to make, although there are a few more steps than recipes I usually make. It’s hearty and delicious and very filling, which means you don’t have to prepare a bunch of extra side dishes to accompany this dish. It’s a meal on it’s own. It tastes great reheated the following day, so make extras!

French Lentil Stew Nutrition Review ~

Lentils are a great ingredient from a nutritional standpoint. High in fiber and protein, but low in fat and calories, they are a great replacement to meat. They are a good source of iron, low in sodium, high in potassium and high in folate.

Stay tuned for a post all about the nutritional benefits of lentils later this week!

French Lentil Stew Budget Review ~

Overall, I would rate this dish pretty budget friendly, depending on how stocked your pantry is. Since I already had many of the ingredients, it was really pretty inexpensive to make. This recipe makes about 4 hearty servings.  In total, this dish costed me $12 to make, making it only $3 per serving! I rounded up some costs, but in general this is how I tallied up the cost to me personally:

$2.99 1 package pre-cooked lentils (dried lentils are cheaper)

$3 12 oz mushroom variety

$1 shallot

$2 worth of vegetable stock

$3 spinach

Already had on hand: olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, white wine, milk

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French Lentil Stew with Spinach and Mushrooms

Hearty and filling French Lentil Stew recipe that is perfect for fall and winter nights. This nutritious and healthy recipe is perfect for Meatless Mondays.

Course soup / stew

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword lentils

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Brynn McDowell, RDN at The Domestic Dietitian

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup lentils (pre-cooked) (see note on lentils below)
• 2 cups spinach
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat
• Once warm, add the diced shallot and cook ~4 minutes, until soft, stirring often to prevent burning
• Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add pinch of salt, stir and cook an additional 2 minutes
• Add minced garlic and thyme, stir to combine and cook for 30 seconds (just until garlic is fragrant)
• Add white wine and cook while stiring for 1 minute
• Pour in vegetable stock, milk, and precooked lentils. Bring mixture to boil (about 6 minutes)
• Use a handheld immersion blender to slightly blend about half of the soup mixture (you want it to remain semi chunk for texture, don't puree until all smooth). Or you can transfer half the soup to a blender, puree and then return to pot with remaining soup. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Add spinach and cook additional 2-3 minutes, just until spinach is wilted.
• Garnish with crusty french bread or dollop of greek yogurt if desired and enjoy.

Notes

Note on lentils –

We used pre-cooked lentils in this recipe. If you are using dried lentils, you’ll have to cook them first (according to package instructions) before adding to this soup. 

 

We recommend French green lentils because they hold up better than other varieties. 

This dish will make a great hearty, fall dinner on rainy nights!