- Serves 4
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
Gaz Oakley
Put dinner on simmer with Gaz Oakley’s one-pot Smoky Lentil Stew. The smoked paprika brings the flavour for a hearty, warming meal. While this simple recipe makes enough for four, it's the kind of comfort food you might want to keep all to yourself (and we won’t judge).
Ingredients
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 3 spring onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 sticks celery, chopped small
- 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped small
- 1 tbs sweet smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds
- 2 cups/200g squash/pumpkin/sweet potato, cubed
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbs harissa paste
- 2 tbs tomato purée
- 1 litre/4 cups vegetable stock
- 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1 & 1/2 cups/270g dry green lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup/100g cherry tomatoes, halved
- Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
Serve with
- Steamed grains (like rice, bulgar wheat, quinoa, pearl barley)
- Fresh coriander
- Green veg
Method
Sweat the shallots, garlic, red pepper, celery, squash in the olive oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan.
After 5 minutes or so once they’re softened, add all the spices, dried herbs, harissa paste and tomato purée to the pan.
Cook the mixture for a couple more minutes before deglazing with the vegetable stock & balsamic vinegar. Bring the liquid to a boil then add the lentils and bay leaf.
Turn the heat down low and pop a lid on the pan. Let the stew simmer away for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then.
After 30 minutes or so of cooking, the lentils should have softened – at this point, stir in the cherry tomatoes. Cook for a few more minutes then serve up with grains of your choice, fresh coriander and greens. Smokin’.