Vegetarian Lentil Stew

With December here and temperatures barely topping 40, I've resigned myself to winter arriving in DC. However, winter is not all bad (Christmas, Inauguration Day, and hearty soups all come to mind as good things about winter...). Earlier this week I had a nice bowl of lentil soup and it inspired me to pick up the makings for some legume-based dishes for the coming week. Today I made vegetarian lentil stew, which is packed with veggies, fiber, and protein.


Vegetarian Lentil Stew (6-8 servings)
1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4 carrots, diced (~ 1 1/2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
1 lb. lentils, washed and drained
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
9 oz. bag spinach, stems removed and leaves chopped
* If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat; add garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and saute until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add lentils, vegetable stock, sage, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover, allow to simmer until lentils just begin to soften, about 20 minutes; stir occasionally.

3. Stir in spinach [if needed, add up to 1 cup water to replace liquid soaked up by lentils] and continue simmering until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes; stir occasionally.

4. Serve!