Spanish Lentil Stew (Lentejas)
Spanish Lentil Stew is a hearty, flavour-packed stew made with lentils, lots of vegetables, garlic, smoked paprika and olive oil, everything that embodies Mediterranean home cooking.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red capsicum diced
- 1 green capsicum diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 4 garlic cloves finely sliced
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 3 tomatoes grated
- 2 potatoes diced
- 0.5 lb pumpkin peeled and sliced into large pieces
- 1 cup lentils
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 bay leaves
- salt and pepper
- sourdough to serve
Instructions
- Fry sofrito: In a large pot on a medium - high heat, bring the olive oil to heat. Once the olive oil is hot, add the onions, capsicums and carrots and fry off for 7 minutes or until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic to the pan and fry for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Add everything else: Add the paprika and fry off for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, lentils, vegetable broth, bay leaves and pinch of salt of pepper. Bring everything to the boil and then reduce the heat until the stew is at a gentle simmer. Pop the lid on and cook for 30 - 35 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
- Mash pumpkin: Once the stew is cooked to your liking, remove the pumpkin and mash up with a fork. Add it back to the stew and stir through.
- Serve: Serve immediately with some slices of olive oil fried sourdough and a big drizzle of olive oil.
Video
Notes
- Lentils: The heart of this dish. I like to use brown or green lentils.
- Pumpkin: My abuelo’s secret ingredient! He would always add chunks of pumpkin and mash them through as they cooked to naturally thicken the stew.
- Fresh Tomatoes: We always like to grate our fresh tomatoes! If you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, tinned tomatoes work perfectly, just note they’ll give the stew a slightly deeper, richer flavour.
- Smoked Paprika: The signature Spanish touch that gives lentejas their warmth and depth. It adds that gentle smokiness that’s key to any good Spanish stew.
- Garlic and Olive Oil: No Mediterranean dish is complete without these two.
- Sofrito: Carrots, onions and peppers or capsicums form the flavour base and make this stew both nourishing and comforting.
Nutrition
Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 994mg | Potassium: 1630mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 13128IU | Vitamin C: 108mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 6mg
