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A french lentil soup that is hearty and nutritious. This vegan stew is satisfying and the perfect cozy meal!
This soup is filled with protein packed lentils and is full of vegetables. It's creamy, flavorful and tastes incredible!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Oh She Glows. The opinions and text are all mine.
This recipe was originally published on 12/6/16
When the weather cools down I crave warm foods. There is nothing quite like a bowl of warm creamy lentil stew to warm your insides, especially when it's super healthy and made with whole foods.
When I got the chance to review the new book by Angela Liddon, Oh She Glows Every Day, my eyes (and stomach) landed directly on her Golden French Lentil Stew.
This rich and creamy vegan lentil stew is full of healthy ingredients and anti-inflammatory benefits, a perfect cozy meal!
The recipes inside will literally make your stomach growl as you peruse the pages. Looking through each section, I couldn't decide which recipe to review!
Ingredients
Lucky for you, I get to share this French lentil soup recipe with all of you! Here are the ingredients you need:
- Raw cashews
- Yellow or sweet onion
- Garlic
- Carrotsdiced
- Celerydiced
- Cumin
- Thyme
- Turmeric
- Diced tomatoes
- French green lentils
- Veggie broth
- Swiss chard or kale leaves
- White wine vinegar
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Black pepper
- Sea Salt
How to Make Vegan Lentil Stew
This lentil stew recipe came together SO easily! I literally had three tired, cranky, hungry kids at my feet as I prepped and cooked, but I was still able to do it all in record time.
- Make the cashew cream.
- Sauté the onions.
- Add the carrots, celery and spices.
- Stir in the tomatoes, lentils and broth.
- Mix in the cream and chard and enjoy!
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructionsbelow!
Serving Suggestions
This vegan lentil soup can be served as a meal all on its own, or with any of the following recipes:
- Kale Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
- Vegan Caesar Salad
- Gluten Free Drop Biscuits
Preparation Tips
- I tested this veggie lentil stew with both cashew and sunflower seed cream, and both versions work great.
- It’s a perfect recipe for those with tree nut allergies (as long as you can eat sunflower seeds).
- The French green lentils hold their shape well and add a bit of a chew, but feel free to use green or brown lentils if that’s all you can find. The stew will just be thicker since green and brown lentils break down a bit more.
Storage Tips
- Cool the stew before storing.
- This stew will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Vegan lentil stew can also be frozen it for 1 to 2 months.
- I like to store in a glass airtight container. I also put plastic wrap right over the top, so it is touching the surface before putting the top on. This helps freezer burn.
- The stew will thicken after sitting in the fridge; you can thin it out with a bit of broth when you reheat it, if desired, or simply serve it thick with some crusty bread.
Common Questions
Can you add dry lentils to stew?
Yep! That's the great thing about lentils, they don't need soaking. Lentils cook much faster than other dried beans so soaking is not necessary. This lentil stew will cook in about 30-25 minutes!
What goes with lentils?
The question should really be, what doesn't go good with lentils! Really any veggie or savory item I have tried goes amazing with lentils. I love them cold or warm. In a stew or a salad. Some of my favorite ways to use lentils are with tomatoes and my vegan feta, this Greek lentils soup, make them into a lentil burger, make them into a bean dip, add them to a salad, or sauté with onions and other seasonal veggies.
How do you keep lentils from splitting?
The key to keeping a lentils shape. and keeping them from getting mushy, is to make sure you don't overcook them. Because lentils take a shorter time to cook than other dried beans, people tend to let them cook too long.
Make sure you test them often by trying them and checking consistency. Also, you want to make sure the lentils you buys are fresh, old lentils shed their skin faster and turn mushy.
More Vegan Lentil Recipes
Once you finish all of this French Lentil Stew, put those lentils to use with these recipes:
- Lentil Quinoa Salad
- Easy Lentil Veggie Burger Recipe
- Vegan Taco Meat with Lentils and Walnuts
- Vegan Lentil Meatloaf Recipe
French Lentil Soup (Vegan)
Sophia DeSantis
A french lentil soup that is hearty and nutritious. This vegan stew is satisfying and the perfect cozy meal!
4.64 from 57 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Shop Ingredients
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 36 minutes mins
Total Time 56 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Servings 4
Calories 343 kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews, or ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 mL) raw sunflower seeds (125 mL)
- 2 cups water (500 mL)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , optional, use broth for oil free (30 mL)
- 1 large yellow or sweet onion diced, or 2 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced (about 2 cups/500 mL)
- 4 large cloves garlic minced (2 tablespoons/ 30 mL minced)
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, to taste , plus a couple pinches (5 to 7 mL)
- 2 medium carrots diced (1 heaping cup/275 mL)
- 2 stalks celery diced (¾ cup/175 mL)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme (7 mL)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (5 mL)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes, with juices (14-ounce/398 mL)
- ¾ cup uncooked French green lentils, picked over and rinsed (175 mL)
- 4 cups veggie broth , low sodium (1 L)
- 3 cups stemmed and chopped Swiss chard or kale leaves (750 mL)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar , to taste (5 to 10 mL)
Shop Ingredients on Jupiter
Instructions
Put the cashews in a bowl and cover with a couple of inches of water. Soak for 1 to 2 hours or overnight. (For a quick-soak method, cover with boiling water and soak for 30 to 60 minutes.) Drain and rinse.
Transfer the cashews to a high-speed blender along with ½ cup (125 mL) of the water. Blend on high until super smooth and creamy in texture. Set the cashew cream aside.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil (or use broth for oil free) over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and a couple pinches of salt, and sauté until the onion is softened, 4 to 6 minutes.
Stir in the carrots and celery, and cook for another few minutes or so. Stir in the cumin, thyme, and turmeric until combined.
Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, lentils, broth, and remaining water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
Stir in the cashew cream and chard. Add salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste. (The vinegar’s role is to add a little bit of brightness to the soup; add a bit at a time and keep tasting, as it can quickly overwhelm.)
Cook for a couple of minutes over low-medium heat, until the chard is wilted, and then serve.
This stew will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it for 1 to 2 months (always let it cool completely before storing). The stew will thicken after sitting in the fridge; you can thin it out with a bit of broth when you reheat it, if desired, or simply serve it thick with some crusty bread.
Notes
- This golden-hued stew is remarkably rich and creamy, thanks to the addition of a dairy-free cream base that can be either nut or seed based.
- When I was developing this recipe, I tested the stew with both cashew and sunflower seed cream, and both versions work beautifully.
- It’s a friendly recipe for those with tree nut allergies (provided you can still eat sunflower seeds).
- Turmeric gives this stew its joyful, rich color, not to mention anti-inflammatory benefits; curcumin, one of the compounds in turmeric, has been shown to help reduce swelling and inflammation.
- The stew is spiced with dried thyme and cumin, and it packs a hefty portion of greens (Swiss chard or kale—your choice!) and other hearty vegetables like carrot and celery.
- The French green lentils hold their shape well and add a lovely, chewy element, but feel free to use green or brown lentils if that’s all you can find.
- The stew will just be thicker since green and brown lentils break down a bit more.
- Reprinted from Oh She Glows Every Day by arrangement with Avery, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2016, Glo Bakery Corporation
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 13gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 254mgPotassium: 821mgFiber: 13gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 6875IUVitamin C: 16.9mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 5.8mg
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
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