Lentilles du Puy with Spinach and Crème Fraiche! Embrace the charm of this healthy dish, and elevate your dining experience with a meal that embodies the essence of rustic French cuisine.
Each bite is a harmonious blend of textures and flavors, making this Lentilles du Puy with Spinach and Crème Fraiche feel both sophisticated and comforting. This dish that beautifully marries earthy lentil and spinach flavors with a zesty kick of vibrant Dijon mustard. Ideal for a cozy dinners, this dish not only tantalizes your taste buds but also nourishes your body with wholesome ingredients.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Attention all lentil lovers! If you’re on the hunt for a delicious and nutritious dish, look no further than this mouthwatering Lentilles du Puy. Packed with protein and brimming with powerful antioxidants, this recipe is not just a meal; it’s a health-boosting delight that will elevate your dining experience.
You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Lentilles du Puy with Spinach and Crème Fraiche is a delicious and earthy flavorful dish. Dijon mustard is front and center, slightly tempered by the baby spinach and WFPB Crème Fraiche. It is a fantastic dish that feels and tastes elegant yet down-to-earth.
- Lentils: We used black [beluga] lentils. You can substitute using French green lentils or a hearty brown lentil (that can hold their shape), but do not use lentils that turn mushy such as red lentils, certain types of green or brown lentils. We did a kitchen test with brown (Spanish pardine) lentils that also worked really well with this dish).
- Health Benefits of Black Lentils: Black beluga lentils are rich in specific nutrients such as iron, calcium, magnesium, folate, and potassium. Black lentils are the most nutritious and most intensely earthy flavored.
- Why are Black Lentils the Healthiest of all Lentils? Beluga lentils are high in dietary fiber and folates until green lentils, black lentils possess anthocyanins, the same powerful antioxidant found in dark berries like blueberries and blackberries. The clinical studies show that lentils promote good health and reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer.
- Cooking Times: The amount of cooking time should be modified based upon the brand and type of lentils selected for this dish as lentils vary greatly by brand and cooking times. After 25 minutes in the skillet, start checking for tenderness regularly to ensure the lentils hold their shape, but are tender.
- Sea Salt: Do not add sea salt while cooking lentils, it will take them longer to cook.
- Baby Spinach Chopped: Be sure to chop the baby spinach into small, bite-size pieces.
- Baby Spinach Substitutions: Feel free to substitute the baby spinach with your favorite greens; however, you will need to add other hardier types of greens in the skillet sooner rather than later as they take longer to cook, and you do not want to make the lentils mushy by adding additional cooking time at the end once the lentils are tender. Other types of greens may also require more liquids and seasonings. We recommend baby spinach for this dish.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dish can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- 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. Feel free to use your favorite vegetable broth.
- Lentils: We used Palouse (also known as clearcreekfoods.com) Black [Beluga] Lentils. Feel free to use your favorite black lentils or other lentils.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs. If using table salt, you may need to use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Large skillet
- Teapot (or pan to boil water)
- High-speed blender (to make Crème Fraiche)
If you try this comforting dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Vegan Lentilles du Puy with Spinach and Crème Fraiche
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 35-45 Minutes
- Total Time: 45 Minutes
- Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Each bite is a harmonious blend of textures and flavors, making this Lentilles du Puy with Spinach and Crème Fraiche feel both sophisticated and comforting.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
- 1 medium carrot, fine dice
- 1 medium celery rib, fine dice
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
- Hot water *
- 1 cup dry black [beluga] lentils, picked through and rinsed *
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Other Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon tahini
- Pinch to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Other Ingredients:
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach *
Vegan Crème Fraiche
- ½ cup [raw] cashews
- 1/3 to ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (or lime juice)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (+/-)
Instructions
- If serving with Vegan Crème Fraiche, make it now – see separate instructions, and refrigerate.
- In a large, deep skillet, sauté the diced onions, carrots, and celery over medium-high heat for 6 to 7 minutes until softened, add a splash of water to prevent burning, if needed
- Add all the remaining Base Ingredients to the skillet, stir well to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmering boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In the meantime, bring a small pot (or tea kettle) of water to boil, then keep the water hot in case you need to use it to moisten the lentils.
- After 25 minutes, check the lentils for tenderness. If not tender and pan still has water, continue cooking until the lentils are tender, checking occasionally on the tenderness and water remaining in the skillet. If most of the water has evaporated (as the skillet has become dry before the lentils are tender), then add some hot water, ¼ cup at a time, cover with lid and continue to simmer. Repeat until this process until the lentils are tender.
- Once the lentils are tender, check the amount of remaining liquids in the skillet. If the skillet is dry, then add ¼ cup of hot water, then add all the Other Ingredients, stir to combine. Simmer for several minutes, then gently fold in the chopped baby spinach, simmer for 2 minutes, then remove the skillet from the heat, cover for several minutes to wilt the baby spinach.
- To serve, transfer to a serving platter and dollop with the Vegan Crème Fraiche.
Vegan Crème Fraiche Instructions:
- Place the raw cashews into a small bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to steep for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, drain off the water (and discard), then add to a high-speed blender.
- Place all the remaining Vegan Crème Fraiche Ingredients into the high-speed blender along with the soaked cashews. Blend on high until smooth and emulsified.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Serving: 4-5
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