A hearty vegan stew with brown lentils, mushrooms and autumn roots, with no meat substitute needed.
Serves 4 | Preparation: 20 minutes | Cooking: 55 minutes | Total: 75 minutes
Times include the chilling, soaking or resting stated in the method. Cooking times are a guide: check tenderness and doneness before serving.
Ingredients
200 g dried green or brown lentils, rinsed
400 g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
200 g onions, chopped
300 g carrots, diced
300 g parsnips, diced
25 ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
20 g tomato purée
1 litre low-salt vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
15 ml soy sauce
Black pepper
15 g parsley, chopped
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the mushrooms for 8 minutes until browned. Add onions, carrots and parsnips and cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in garlic and tomato purée for 1 minute.
Add lentils, stock, bay and thyme. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Cover loosely and cook for 35–40 minutes, stirring and adding hot water if needed, until the lentils and roots are tender. Older lentils may take longer; check the pack.
Stir in soy sauce and pepper, remove bay leaves and add parsley. Taste before adding salt and serve in four bowls.
Variations and substitutions
Use swede instead of parsnips. For a quicker version replace dried lentils with two 400 g tins, drained, use 600 ml stock and simmer for 25 minutes. Use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce if needed.
Homegrown and seasonal produce
Use stored roots and onions. Small fresh parsley leaves make a useful finish in autumn; frozen chopped parsley also works.
Storage and freezing
Cool promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or below. Eat within 48 hours. Freeze in labelled portions for up to 3 months for best quality. Defrost in the fridge, use within 24 hours and reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
Find more ideas in the complete recipe menu. Explore our growing guide finder and From Garden to Kitchen guide, or plan your next harvest with Your Growing Companion.
Stock photograph illustrating ingredients or a serving idea. These recipes are practical ideas to try; they are not presented as all having been tested in my kitchen.
