Description
Calling all lentil lovers! These amazing little legumes are shining bright in this flavorful and comforting French Lentil Rice Mushroom Stew that is sure to warm you up like a big cozy hug. Protein-packed lentils, zesty onions, earthy garlic, crisp celery, sweet carrots, hearty mushrooms, earthy baby spinach, and chewy rice, simmered to perfection in an aromatic broth, now that’s a dinner worth writing home about. Plus, we made it easy by providing both Instant Pot and stove top instructions –win, win! This dish is filled with all your favorite healthy wholesome ingredients.
Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 cup red onions, small dice
- ¼ cup carrots, grated *
- 1/3 cup carrots, sliced into coins *
- ½ cup celery, small dice
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons reduced sodium tamari *
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup vegan red wine *
- ½ cup brown basmati rice (or rice of choice)
- 1 cup dried uncooked French lentils (or brown or green lentils)
- 2 cups vegetable broth *
- 3 cups water (or broth)
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves * (+/-)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin (+/-)
- 1 to 1 ¼ teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Other Ingredients:
- 3 to 4 cups chopped baby spinach
- ¼ teaspoon to ½ teaspoon dried crushed rosemary (+/-) *
Other Optional Ingredients:
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients except the dried crushed rosemary in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
- Prepare all the veggies and mushrooms, set aside.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (high) mode, then add the minced red onion, carrots (both grated and coins), celery, mushrooms and tamari, sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until the veggies start to soften and the mushrooms reduce in size. Then add the garlic and tomato paste, sauté for one minute. Then add the Spice/Herb mix and red wine, stirring constantly for one minute. Add the rice, stir to coat, about 30 seconds. Then add the lentils, broth and water. Stir to combine.
- Press Cancel, then set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure High for 14 minutes. When finished, press Canceland allow to sit for 5 minutes, then do a Quick Release. Unplug the Instant Pot.
- Once all the pressure is released, carefully remove the lid, pull out the bay leaves and discard, then stir in the baby spinach and dried crushed rosemary. Taste test the flavors and add any additional seasoning at this time, stir to combine, allow a few minutes for the flavors to marry. Serve topped with chopped parsley.
Stove Top Instructions
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl, except the dried crushed rosemary, mix well, set aside.
- Prepare all the veggies and mushrooms, set aside.
- In a ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similarly large stock pot, add the minced red onions, carrots (both grated and coins), celery, mushrooms and tamari. sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until the veggies start to soften and the mushrooms reduce in size. Then add the garlic and tomato paste, sauté for one minute. Then add the Spice/Herb mix and red wine, stirring constantly for one minute. Add the rice, stir to coat, about 30 seconds. Then add the lentils, broth and water. Stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer, cover with a lid. Simmer for approximately 35 to 45 minutes until the lentils and rice are tender.
- Once tender, remove the lid, pull out the bay leaves and discard, then stir in the baby spinach and dried crushed rosemary. Taste test the flavors and add any additional seasoning at this time, stir to combine, allow a few minutes for the flavors to marry. Note: You may need to add some additional broth if the stew is too thick. Serve topped with chopped parsley.
Notes
*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
*Carrots: We used both grated carrots and coin carrots in this recipe, simply to add dimension of flavor. The grated carrots tend to disintegrate into the soup broth which adds flavor directly into the broth. The carrot coins add texture.
*Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
*Vegan Red Wine: The red wine is beautiful in this dish. It adds amazing flavor dimension. You do not have to add the red wine. We tried it with and without the wine and the flavor is very good without it, but the red wine adds an extra pop of flavor. If you decide to not include it, add an equal amount of veggie broth or water.
*Dried Thyme Leaves: We use Penzeys French Thyme. It has amazing flavor. If you can’t find dried thyme leaves, you can use ground thyme, but use half the amount.
*Rosemary: Dried crushed rosemary seems to intensify in flavor when used in an Instant Pot. We add it at the end for a really nice accent of flavor to this dish.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Serving: 4 – 5
*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.