Lentil Mushroom & Kale Stew
Phew! After a full week on the road it feels damn good to be home with my boys, getting my hands dirty in the greenhouse and fueling up on nourishing food. Thank you all for your patience while I was away (hopefully you were still able to find some yummy recipes from the archives to keep you going in my absence.) I’ve got a recap post coming up in the next few weeks about my incredible road trip through west Texas, but in the meantime I’m ready to settle back into routine and share some tasty recipes with you all.
This stew is exactly what my body was craving after 7 days of beef jerky, trail mix, cheap gas station coffee and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (when in Rome right?) I have no regrets with my dietary choices on the road but man, this body of mine is getting older and can’t stomach some of my old favorite snacks the same way. Luckily, this stew set me straight and I’m already feeling like myself again. This is a very economical meal that’s as nourishing as it is tasty. I hope you all love it as much as we do. It pairs well with a glass of wine and some crusty bread.
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
Lentil Mushroom and Kale Stew
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 4
- 1 cup dried French Green Lentils
- 4 cups homemade vegetable stock (or low sodium store-bought stock)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped (white and pale green parts only)
- 1 pound assorted mushrooms, chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- hefty pinch of fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (may substitute with full fat canned coconut milk for a dairy free version)
- 1 cup chopped kale
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Rinse the lentils and place them in a stock pot with 3 cups of the vegetable stock (reserving the remaining 1 cup for later) and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until the lentils are tender and have absorbed much of the liquid, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and leek, cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and fragrant. Add the mushrooms and a hefty pinch of salt, continue to cook undisturbed, until the mushrooms soften up and turn a deep golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Give the pot a good stir and continue to cook the mushrooms until all sides are deeply browned. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer. Stir in the wine and deglaze the pan by scraping up all the flavorful brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add the cream, remaining 1 cup of vegetable stock, cooked lentils and kale. Cook until the kale wilts a bit and the stew has thickened and warmed through. Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper and serve warm.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary
Hello there! First time commenter! I love your recipes – I participate in Hungry Harvest and you’ve saved me many times when I’ve gotten veggies I have no idea how to prepare.
And now, a question: I think I’d like to add stew meat into this. Do you suggest adding the lentils in about a half hour before the stew is done? Do you think that would work? Thanks!
Yum! I think stew meat would be wonderful here. I’d suggest browning the stew meat first and then removing the meat while you saute the veggies. I’d then add the meat back when you add the wine. And yep, I think about 25-30 minutes before the stew is done would be a great time to add back the lentils. Let me know how it turns out! Happy cooking!
Fantastic – thank you
I made this recipe last night and it is absolutely delicious!.
I’m so happy you loved it!
I also LOVE your cookbook. I took delivery of it last week and I have studied it from cover to cover. The zucchini bread is wonderful!. You should see all the flag its and post its sticking out from all over the place for all the meals that I plan on making. I am also so glad that you reside in Oregon. I am a Parisian who resides in Eugene. Would it be okay if one of these days I stopped by and checked out your farm? – It will be a drive to purchase fresh veggies but well worth it to me. I love to support the farmers in my state. I would also like to advertise about your book on my blog if that’s okay with you. Would you prefer a link to your blog or a link to your cookbook on Amazon? – Thank you for doing what you do. I am super healthy because of it. Cheers!
So incredibly delicious, healthy, satisfying, and addicting! Thank you!