Little Sprout Green Lentil Stew (Printable)

Nourishing lentils, carrots, and potatoes simmered with herbs for a flavorful vegetarian main dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
02 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
03 - 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
05 - 1 celery stalk, diced
06 - 1 cup baby spinach or little sprout greens, roughly chopped (optional)

→ Lentils & Broth

07 - 1 cup dried green lentils, rinsed
08 - 4 cups vegetable broth
09 - 1 cup water

→ Herbs & Seasoning

10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - ½ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 - Juice of ½ lemon (optional)

# Method:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and celery; sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in carrots and potatoes; cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
03 - Add rinsed green lentils, vegetable broth, water, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, cumin if using, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30-35 minutes until lentils and vegetables are tender.
05 - Remove bay leaf. Stir in baby spinach or little sprout greens and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
06 - Add lemon juice if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
07 - Ladle into bowls and serve hot, garnished with fresh herbs if available.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of meal that tastes like it took hours but gets on the table in under an hour, leaving your hands free to do other things while it simmers away.
  • Green lentils hold their shape instead of turning to mush, which means you get real texture and substance in every spoonful.
  • The vegetables soften into sweet pockets of flavor while the herbs whisper in the background—it's humble but genuinely delicious.
02 -
  • Rinsing the lentils before cooking removes dust and debris that you definitely don't want to discover later in your teeth.
  • Don't skip the bay leaf even though it seems like a small thing—it adds a subtle depth that ties all the other flavors together and reminds you that cooking is partly about believing that small things matter.
  • If your stew seems too thin after cooking, you can simmer it uncovered for a few minutes to let some liquid evaporate, but honestly, a brothier stew is often better than one that's too thick and heavy.
03 -
  • Taste as you go, especially with the salt—vegetables release liquid as they cook, which can make things saltier than you expected, so it's better to undersalt and adjust than to end up with something you can't fix.
  • If you want to make this vegan, just double-check that your vegetable broth is plant-based and you're already most of the way there, since this recipe has no dairy hiding anywhere.
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