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You are here Home » Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew

8 Comments · February 24, 2016

Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew

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This warming tomato and lentil stew is nourishing, aromatic, and incredibly simple. French lentils are cooked in a comforting tomato broth until tender and plump. A base of onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme offers an earthy, savory vibe that tames the acidity of the tomatoes and unites the flavors as one. This stew comes together with just 40-ish minutes of time and a modest amount of stirring. Protein-packed lentils make it an incredibly satisfying dish, and you can bump the comfort up another notch by serving it over brown rice or alongside a warm baguette.

Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew | A simple protein-packed vegan stew that comes together in just 45 minutes!

When I submitted my cookbook manuscript in late December, I expected to feel an immense sense of relief and to uncover a shiny, new über-relaxed attitude. And my predictions held true at first. But although I believed the manuscript was the only thing standing between a stressed-out me and a carefree me, it turns out that I'm quite adept at finding new things to become stressed about.

The calmer waters I sailed on in January were churned into rough, choppy waters by February. At first, I blamed those stressful waters on external circumstances (an unusually busy month at work, lots of blog-related projects, and not nearly enough downtime over the last year) and kept chugging along.

But as I chugged along the other week, frazzled and frayed, I realized something: maybe, just maybe, I could choose to calm the waters myself. I could shift my perspective to align more closely with the present moment, cutting out regrets about what I didn't do yesterday and worries about what I need to do tomorrow in favor of fully utilizing the power and peace of the present moment. And I could shift my approach by not throwing so much darn stuff into the water to begin with.

The latter idea rang especially true. When I took a step back, it was clear that the choices I was making were influencing my stress levels far more than naturally occurring external circumstances. After skimming through old emails, analyzing to-do lists, and glancing at my monthly planner, it was painfully obvious that I had been saying "yes" to projects, work, etc. when I actually wanted to say "no". Pushed by my tendency to people-please first and care for myself second, I had been stretched thin and in far too many directions by a bad case of "the shoulds".

Somewhere in the midst of feeling genuinely grateful for opportunities and not wanting to disappoint others (and maybe even a bit of FOMO), I forgot to check-in with myself. With the writing on the wall (and my to-do list), I needed to embrace a new approach, one that involved stepping authentically into the power of NO.

As luck would have it, there's actually a book called The Power of No. It's about honoring the need to say "no" so that you can say "yes" to the things that really matter. I haven't read it yet, but I did listen to Tim Ferriss' interview with the author, James Altucher. It turned my case of "the shoulds" on its head, and it was empowering. I also read and reread Derek Siver's article, "No more yes. It's either HELL YEAH! or no." countless times over the last few weeks. Also incredibly empowering.

And I've started saying "no" (with gratitude) to opportunities I once gave a guilt-driven "yes" to in an effort to create more space and time for the things that matter most. It's been an incredibly freeing, unexpectedly joyful experience. And to my surprise, not one person has been disappointed or upset, rather they've been incredibly supportive and respectful. One lovely individual even replied to say, "Way to go! As they say, when we say no to things, it creates more room in our life, so props to you!" Amen to that.

With all these no's, I'm slowly but surely making more time for little life comforts and joy-generating moments (following my curiosity, working on new project ideas of my own, creating new recipes in the kitchen, an afternoon movie with Dan, a quick call to my mom that turns into a 2-hour chat about life, etc.).  And I can't think of a recipe that embodies the comfort and joy of those experiences quite like this one.

Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew | A simple protein-packed vegan stew that comes together in just 45 minutes!

This warming tomato and lentil stew is nourishing, aromatic, and incredibly simple. So simple, in fact, that you can say "no" to unnecessary kitchen time and "yes" to whatever offers you a bit more joy as it simmers away on the stove.

French lentils are cooked in a comforting tomato broth until tender and plump. A base of onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme offers an earthy, savory vibe that tames the acidity of the tomatoes and unites the flavors as one.

This stew comes together with just 40-ish minutes of time and a modest amount of stirring. Protein-packed lentils make it an incredibly satisfying dish, and you can bump the comfort up another notch by serving it over brown rice or alongside a warm baguette.

Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew | A simple protein-packed vegan stew that comes together in just 45 minutes!

Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew | A simple protein-packed vegan stew that comes together in just 45 minutes!

Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew | A simple protein-packed vegan stew that comes together in just 45 minutes!

Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew | A simple protein-packed vegan stew that comes together in just 45 minutes!
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5 from 1 vote

Quick & Easy Warming Tomato and Lentil Stew (Vegan)

This warming tomato and lentil stew is nourishing, aromatic, and incredibly simple. French lentils are cooked in a comforting tomato broth until tender and plump. A base of onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme offers an earthy, savory vibe that tames the acidity of the tomatoes and unites the flavors as one. This stew comes together with just 40-ish minutes of time and a modest amount of stirring. Protein-packed lentils make it an incredibly satisfying dish, and you can bump the comfort up another notch by serving it over brown rice or alongside a warm baguette.
Course Soup, Stew
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, plant-based, Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
  • 1 cup uncooked french green lentils, thoroughly rinsed and picked through
  • 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups filtered water
  • 1 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6 minutes or until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, dried rosemary, sea salt, and red pepper flakes, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic softens, stirring frequently.
  • Add the french lentils, crushed tomatoes, filtered water, tamari, and balsamic. Stir to combine and nestle the sprigs of thyme into the liquid. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid boil. Then, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
  • Carefully remove the thyme sprigs. Taste and season with more sea salt, if desired. I typically don't add any additional salt; however, feel free to season as you wish.

 

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Comments

  1. Sarah | Well and Full says

    February 24, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    Beautiful words. I really loved reading this post. I did the same thing at my job - I took on more than I could handle, fearing that my managers would think I wasn't performing to my best standard or that others would think I was slacking. But sometimes you need to know when to say "enough is enough".

    Reply
  2. Karissa @ Vegan À La Mode says

    February 25, 2016 at 12:52 am

    I can totally relate to you Ashley! As an anxiety sufferer, I too have learned the power of saying no. I am a people pleaser too and would always say yes to favors asked of me, opportunities presented, etc because I didn't how to say no. Soon enough I was on rough choppy waters too! Then I learned from working with a psychologist how important it is to say no sometimes. Or my favorite, is just to say "I'll get back to you" so I have time to ponder whether or not this is truly something I should say yes to. I love your mindset of willing yourself to change those waters to calm waters. I think it's so easy to forget how powerful our minds are and what a change a positive attitude can make! I am definitely going to try your tactic next time I feel like I'm stressed.

    Reply
  3. Rachel says

    January 03, 2017 at 12:58 pm

    One question for you though, did you soak the lentils or do anything to them before cooking them with everything else? It took over an hour of cooking, and an extra cup of water to get the lentils tender. Perhaps I bought the wrong kind of green lentils? Maybe next time I'll try using my pressure cooker!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      January 03, 2017 at 1:13 pm

      Hi, Rachel! So glad you're enjoying the stew. Regarding the lentils, the only thing I do is rinse them. Green lentils should only take 20–30 minutes to cook (brown lentils, beluga, and french lentils are all within that range too). However, if the lentils are old (or the store you bought them from stocked old lentils), they can take a CRAZY long time to cook. I have a feeling old lentils are the culprit. Here's a helpful forum thread on the topic from Food52. Supposedly the cooking time for old lentils can be reduced by adding a bit of baking soda while they simmer. Hope this helps!

      Reply
      • Rachel says

        January 03, 2017 at 11:02 pm

        Thank you so much for the tip - I had no idea!

        Either way, delicious recipe! I devoured it with a few slices of sweet potato "toast"!

        Reply
  4. Bethany says

    January 28, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    Hi Ashley, I would like to make this recipe but wanted to know if I can substitute fresh rosemary for dried and dried thyme for fresh in this recipe? If so what are the quantities?

    Reply
  5. Megan says

    July 11, 2020 at 10:43 am

    5 stars
    Delicious. Made half the recipe , so approximated a few measurements. Used fresh tomatoes, dried thyme, a bit of cayenne pepper and soy sauce (for tamari). Ate one day with flour tortillas, another day on top of white rice.

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      July 13, 2020 at 9:18 am

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Megan! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your rating, thoughts, and adjustments. Means a lot to me and is helpful for others planning to make the recipe, too. :)

      Reply

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