Quick Smoky Red Lentil Stew with Greens (Vegan) | The First Mess (2024)

Great recipe!! It is so easy to follow and tasty. It’s my family favourite. Thank you.

Absolutely love this easy and flavoursome recipe. I added spinach to it. Thank you for a great recipe, definitely be making it again! :-)

I just made it for dinner and it was delicious. Perfect balance of flavor and spice. I added a handful of fresh baby spinach at the end and let it wilt. Even my 8yo daughter, who is reluctant to trying new foods, liked it and ate the entire serving.

Loved this red lentil stew! The smoked paprika was awesome and the sautéed veggies stayed al dente. I also added lightly sautéed spinach and mushrooms since I had them made it was great! Thank you!

Worked like a charm! Made with homemade chicken stock and added frozen spinach. Be sure to let the lemon juice have some time to integrate otherwise it’s quite sharp.

Firstly, tastes good, secondly, good ingredients, thirdly, quick. Increased comin to 1 tsp. and cayenne to 1/2 tsp. Tasted even better for lunch the second day, added a handful of spinach.

Just made this. It is soooooo good! Super flavorful! Really love it!

The flavor is good but the texture needs improving imo. It was somehow too thin, even for a stew. Do you think it could be ground for serving as pasta sauce, or would there be a way to thicken it with something creamy? Thank you, Laura.

This was so fast, simple and SO delicious!! I will definitely make again (and double the recipe) My children gobbled this up!!! My friend who was over asked for the recipe. Thank you for sharing!!!

I topped with Greek yogurt and fresh dill. Simple, warming and delicious!

Followed the Instructions to a tee. It was way too spicy and the flavor was awful. Wound up down the garbage grinder

Hi hi, i’ve just discovered your site and oh my goodness, this recipe is delicious! The only changes I made were no celery and no balsamic because I didn’t have any in the house, upped the cumin to about a teaspoon and I substituted Rancho Gordo Castillo Spanish Pimenton (smoky) for the paprika. Really good, and so fast and easy in a cold winter night.

This meal came together so quickly! I doubled the recipe and added 1 can of coconut milk at the end. It was even better for lunch the next day.

Excellent recipe! Hearty and satisfying with balanced flavors. I’ve made it twice so far.

Just finished dinner. This was fabulous!! We are Spanish and this dish felt like home. So full of flavor. Did not miss any animal products. We will make this again!

Made this with just a few changes: swapped fennel for celery, added a red bell pepper, used leftover cooking liquid from a pot of beans in place of the veggie stock. Absolutely delish, and so simple. Thank you!

So delish! So filling! I served over roasted potatoes. Very good!!

Made this tonight because I unexpectedly had a bag of split red lentils. Like you, made the recipe exactly, without fresh herbs, but with some kale past its prime from a recent farm box. Delicious! The squeeze of fresh lemon was especially nice.

Amazing food
Thank you for sharing

Very tasty!
I will have the leftovers for breakfast, over idli!

OMG!! Made this Evening and it was DELLIcious!!!
Thank You for a Simple Delicious Meal!!

The smoky red lentil stew recipe is perfect! I added collard greens and substituted the salt and pepper with Lawry’s seasoning salt. Yum!

This recipe was delicious! We added two chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, more cumin, TJ’s lemon pepper, and TJ’s garlic salt. Thank you for sharing this recipe. We are trying to add more vegetarian dishes to our menu and this was a hit!

Does the lemon juice go anywhere apart from finishing

this recipe is so so so tasty ! I cooked it for 30 mins instead of 10, so the lentils becomes mushy creamy , but again so so so good !

I just made this tonight and tried it over baked potatoes, as suggested. Yum! I definitely recommend it that way. I also added in 8 oz of sliced mushrooms before the lentils. My husband loved it too so I will definitely be making this again.

Just made this tonight, it was absolutely amazing! Added some coconut milk to make it creamy, and some potatoes as well just for fun :) Thanks for sharing!

Do you think I could replace the smoked paprika with chipotle pepper in adobo?

So good! Really hit the spot for a healthy comfort meal. Just made it tonight. Only adjustment was adding a little coconut milk I happened to have in the fridge. It didn’t need it but sounded good. I also didn’t add onion as my teenager hates anything with onion (sigh).

I guess I am in the minority here..made this tonite and it is definitely ‘not a keeper’. Lets just say I am glad we had leftovers in the fridge to fall back on.

I added a big handful of chopped kale at the end and then topped with lemon juice and fresh dill. Delicious. I especially like the addition of lemon juice and dill. Thank you!

Whenever I feel sick, I’m also craving for some stews like this. They are so healthy and yummy. I have to ask my bf to do it for me tonight xD

Made this tonight ~ absolutely fantastic. So many good flavours. Only adjustment I made was increasing the cumin to 1 tsp. So good. Thank you!

i subscribe to quite a lot of food blogs. sometimes i have enough time and forethought to prepare the meal sent to me on a particular day. today was that day. i had all the ingredients and without hesitation put this little dish together and found it DELIGHTFUL,filling,tasty. i added chard into the stew,chopped a bit of cilantro and green onions. wished i had a dollop of yogurt,but i call this GOOD! thank you.

You have no idea how much I love the smell and flavor of anything smoky. Smoked vegetables, especially bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, and Brussels sprouts, are always winners in my book! I have rarely ever had smoky beans, let alone a pulse stew! So, this is a recipe definitely worth trying. Sonja and Alex are probably amazing individuals as well. I bet their cookbook has more wondrous recipes!

It was -21 with the windchill in Ottawa this morning. Spring is such a cruel joke! Half of me craves the switch to lighter dinner options and to be done with soups/stews, but with this weather it’s just not an option yet. This stew looks great, maybe my last stew of the season?!? One can hope :)

Coming from Nepal, lentil stew is a basic necessity for dinner here. I am so glad I found this recipe, time to spice things up with my lentil stew for tonight! Thanks!

I bet this would be good over a baked SWEET potato! Baked potato would be good, too, but I think the sweet potato’s creaminess would pair well with the stew. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!

love your recipes, i like vegetarian recipes, will try it, thanks. Oh can I use regular lentils?

What a yummy bowl of goodness…I’m soaking my lentils now…happy feasting.

I cannot believe how easy this is to make! It looks amazing and it is perfect for the fall – it has just started here. Wonderful and nutritious, yum!

Love your recipes!

It’s looks colorful, thanks for sharing such a delicious vegan recipe!!

Did you use cooked or raw lentils?

This looks amazing. My 14 year old has turned to a vegetarian diet and I can’t wait to make this for her AND check out that cookbook.

Love your recipes