Creamy Lentil Mushroom Stew

This Lentil Mushroom Stew is an easy recipe that is also rich in flavor. Made with hearty lentils, umami-packed mushrooms and creamy goodness from the tahini mixed in. Vegan, gluten-free, and made with wholesome ingredients. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner!

One-Pot Lentil Mushroom Stew

Still feeling random those random chills as spring is starting to peek through. Whenever that chill sets in it just makes me go back to cozy soups and stews. This particular stew is hearty thanks to the lentils, but also packed with a lot of umami-flavor thanks to the mushrooms, tahini and miso mixed in. And you can enjoy this as a main dish for dinner, meal prep this for easy lunches throughout the week or just enjoy as a simple appetizer. This recipe is naturally vegetarian and vegan friendly, nut-free and gluten-free.

Can you put raw lentils straight into a stew?

Lentils are straight up magic in my opinion. They do not take much time to cook, so that means, yes, they can be added to a stew dry. You will need to make sure you add in enough liquid to the stew to make sure that the lentils cook appropriately and that it comes out to your desired consistency. If using cooked lentils, you can always add your lentils in at the end of cooking and use less liquid for your creamy broth.

What makes lentil stew healthy?

Lentils on their own are nutrient packed! But they can often times be even more nutritious with the addition of other ingredients in stews like this. Overall, this stew is loaded with some fun ingredients that can absolutely enhance your nutrient intake.

Nutritious Ingredients In This Stew

• Lentils: Good source of minerals like iron, plant protein especially the amino acid lysine, and folate.
• Tahini: Provides healthy fats, copper and selenium
• Mushrooms: Contain antioxidants like choline, selenium and even Vitamin C
• Spinach: Provides some iron, calcium and magnesium a nutrient critical for energy metabolism
• Parsley: For just a small amount provides a great amount of Vitamin A, C and K

How to make this stew

This soup comes together very easily. Start by bringing a large pot to medium heat and add in your mushrooms. The key here is to let them sit for a bit undisturbed. As they cook down, add in your onions and sauté until softened. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant.

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You should see brown bits sticking to the bottom of your pan. At this point add in your white wine vinegar to deglaze your pan and add in lentils, thyme, rosemary and soy sauce.

Once mixed, pour in vegetable broth and throw in your bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let it cook for 20 minutes covered. Remove bay leaves and stir in your tahini. Remove a portion of the remaining broth into a bowl and add miso paste. Mix well to remove lumps and set aside.

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Cook lentils until tender for an additional 5 to 10 minutes then stir in your miso mix. Stir in spinach and parsley allowing them to wilt from the heat of the stew then serve.

Tips for making this stew

• To really help the texture of the mushrooms in this dish, I do recommend cooking your mushrooms first to help release more liquid and start to caramelize. What helps the most is to spread your mushrooms out over the bottom of your pot and allow them to cook undisturbed. Don’t touch them for a minute or two to help them caramelize better on both sides without becoming a soupy mess.
• This dish cooks up quickly. If you want to save even more time, you can soak your lentils for a few hours before making this dish. You will need a cup less broth when cooking, but it will cut the cook time in half.
• Using tahini makes this dish nut-free, but if you are allergic to sesame seeds you can replace it with 1/2 cup coconut milk or creamy oat milk.
• Highly recommend not altering the mushrooms and miso in this dish as they are big sources of umami flavor. Umami is that savory flavor that makes dishes taste rich and hearty.

What do you eat with lentil stew?

This lentil dish almost reminds me of the way my mom makes a Latin inspired lentil soup. It’s thick and goes so well with rice, so would recommend enjoying this with some white Jasmine rice. You can also serve over creamy mashed potatoes as well.

More lentil recipes

• Golden Red Lentil Curry
• Coconut Lentil Curry Soup
• Lentil & Tomato Macaroni Soup

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Did You Try This Recipe?
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★ Catherine