Lentil. Chard. Stew. Three words that tend to induce reactions varying from mild disgust to gagging, and I threw them all together in the title of this recipe. But please give lentils and chard another chance, because this stuff is really, really good.
I think the reason people hate lentils (or think they do) is because they usually eat them when they aren’t cooked enough (and there’s not much worse than chalky lentils). That was definitely my problem for a few years. Here, they’re nice and tender, with chunks of potato, and great flavor from the cilantro, cumin, garlic, and lemon. The chard is also completely benign here because it just blends right into the background of the soup, so no in-your-face chard flavor, which I always used to hate.
When you have a crowd to feed or want leftovers for days, and don’t want to spend a ton of money but still feel satisfied, give this stew a try! I found the recipe in a book from the library called The Arab Table and I’m definitely excited to sample more of the recipes in it.
Recipe:
(adapted from The Arab Table by May S. Bsisu)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups brown lentils
8 cups water
2 tsp salt
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 pound rainbow chard, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
thin slices of lemon, for garnish
Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a large soup pan over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the lentils and the water, bring to a boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and salt and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chard and cook for about 10 minutes. The chard should wilt and the potatoes should be tender.
Heat the 3 tbsp of olive oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic, cilantro, cumin, and coriander and saute for about 5 minutes. Stir into the stew along with the lemon juice, adding water if it seems too thick. Stir well, then taste and add more salt and lemon juice if necessary. Serve garnished with thin slices of lemon.
I must be strange then, because I read the title and thought mmm, yum! I love lentils and think this recipe sounds wonderful.
Well, we actually really like lentils so this sounds great to me!
This is my favorite stew. I love it!
This sounds really great – I’m not a huge fan of chard, but may use kale instead. Love the addition of lemon!
Found this on tastespotting or the like and made it for dinner tonight. It is the best lentil soup I have every had. My husband agreed with me that it is good enough to make for company. Even my 4 year old likes it! Thanks for this fantastic recipe.
I love these flavors as well! I’ll be making this plenty of times this fall! It’s definitely getting ready to be great soup weather!
The new design looks great, and this stew does too. I will agree that chard is a gag inducing word, who came up with that?
I love lentils and have been looking for a way to use the chard from my garden. I can’t wait to try this!
I just made this soup and it’s delicious. I, too, love lentils and chard. Together they are amazing.
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Thanks so much! This stew was absolutely fantastic. The wilted chard added superb colour and sweetness to the entire dish. It tasted so good that I simply couldn’t resist drinking the liquid poured out of the stew like a soup.
We made this tonight and it was great! Thanks for sharing!!
This is also really good cold or at room temperature with some greek yogurt on top!