Classic Spanish flavors of robust smoked paprika, vegan chorizo, and sofrito come together to create this delicious Vegan Lentil Stew. It's the perfect meal for a family dinner or make ahead meal to eat all week. It just takes a short list of ingredients and about 45 minutes to make.
2cupscarrots, sliced medium thickness(about 3 carrots)
½cupcelery, diced(about 1-2 celery stalks)
½cupred bell pepper, diced(about 1 small red bell pepper)
½teaspoonoregano
1teaspoonsmoked paprika
1bay leaf
7ozsoyrizo
1 ½cupbrown lentils
1tablespoontomato paste
1cupcrushed tomatoes
4 to 6cupsvegetable stock or water
¼teaspooncayenne pepper(optional)
Garnish
Fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
In a big pot add the olive oil, onion and garlic. Then turn the heat on to medium high and cook for about 1 minute. Do not get any color on the onion and garlic. You just want them to soften up a bit.
Add the carrots, celery, and red bell pepper to the pot. Continue to cook over medium high for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally. Again, you just want the vegetables to soften up a bit.
Add the soyrizo, oregano, and smoked paprika. Cook for one more minute.
Add the lentils, bay leaf, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and 4 cups of the vegetable stock or water. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer with the lid cracked for 30-45 minutes until the lentils are tender. Add additional vegetable stock or water as needed to maintain a stew consistency. If you prefer softer lentils it could take 40 to 50 minutes of cooking. The cooking time is also dependent on the age of your lentils.
Once the lentils are to your desired softness, taste and season with salt if needed. If you used vegetable stock there is a good chance that you will not need much if any salt. You can also add the cayenne pepper at this time if you want added spice.
To serve, top with fresh chopped parsley. The stew goes fantastic with fresh bread or rice. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you use water in place of the vegetable stock you will have to add a good amount of salt at the end when seasoning the stew. Start with ½ teaspoon and go from there adding a little at a time. Tasting as you go is the key. *Smoked paprika is the key to this recipe. Regular paprika will not produce the same results.*The soyrizo can easily be omitted to keep it soy-free.