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
- Carrots diced
- Celery diced
- 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 instructions below!
Serving Suggestions
This vegan lentil soup can be served as a meal all on its own, or with any of the following recipes:
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
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!
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.
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:
French Lentil Soup (Vegan)
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)
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
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Barb
i made this on the weekend and added a half can of coconut milk....delicious!
veggiesdontbite
Glad you liked it!!
Deanna
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to make it! I’m wondering if you can used canned green lentils, and if so, what would you cut the liquid down to, because they wouldn’t need to be cooked, thanks!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Deanna! Hmm, that's a good question. I am sure you can use canned I just don't know the exact amount of water you'd need to cut out as this is not my original recipe, but a recipe from a book I was asked to review. You need 1/2 cup water for the cashew cream. So keep that. Then I would maybe cut the other liquid (both the broth and water) by 1/2? Then watch it and you can always add more broth and/or water if you need to.
Hollis
So good! I’ll be making again for sure.
veggiesdontbite
Awesome!
Ingrid
Everything you want a soup to be! Very flavourfull and hearty. I've made it twice now and I must say that using 4 fresh vine tomatoes instead of a can of tomatoes improves the flavour big time. Also - adding avocado to each bowl as garnish adds a really amazing taste as well. 10/10 otherwise. Thanks for sharing!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Ingrid! Thanks for trying it! I love the idea of using fresh tomatoes. I'll have to try that next time!
Linda
Hi I have a question. The recipe only has instructions to use the cashews. How do you prepare using the sunflower seeds? Is it the same way.
Thanks
veggiesdontbite
Hi Linda! Yes, do the same but with sunflower seeds. Let me know how it works!
Kayla
Only 3 grams of carb? Lentils have a lot of carbs, are you sure this is correct?
veggiesdontbite
UGH...my recipe plugin is going bonkers it seems. I am switching my plugin here within the week so hang in there and the actual info will be up here soon. That being said, I have never included nutrition info before my plugin did it for me because it can fluctuate depending on the calculator you use and I don't want to be responsible for incorrect info. But everyone wants it so I decided to activate it through the plugin...and this happens. Which brings me full circle as to why I never did it before! LOL But I did just purchase a new plugin, and I am waiting for my tech guy to get it up and running. So, hopefully everyone appreciates it! Ha!
Christine Chevalier
Thanks for posting this!!! I'll be making it soon!!! I have both of Angela's books and everything I've made from them has been brilliant! Don't know how this one has slipped past me...Think I'll head to the kitchen right now!
veggiesdontbite
Awesome!! Hope you like it, we love it! You are more than welcome!
Laurie Avery
Hi! In your directions it says to soak the cashews, but if I'm using sunflower seeds instead do I need to soak them or can I just blend them? Or what do I do? Thank you!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Laurie! This is a recipe from the Oh She Glows book I reviewed so I copied as it was sent to me. I think you can just blend them straight since sunflower seeds are much softer. Hope it turns out great!
Andrea
I was drawn to this because of the beautiful picture, and I am so glad! It is my new favorite lentil stew recipe. There are so many nice favors and textures, I will make this a lot. I squeezed in a good amount of lemon juice because I didn't have the vinegar it called for. That was a great substitution, I will make it that way again. Thank you.
veggiesdontbite
I'm so glad you liked it!! The lemon sounds like an amazing sub!
Swbeme
What are calories per serving for this recipe?
veggiesdontbite
Hi there! I don't post calories on my recipes, mostly because I don't look at that in my own life and my blog is an extension of my life, we focus on eating whole foods that are plant based...but also because results can vary depending on the calorie counter you use and I don't want to worry about that. But there are many out there to chose from and if you want to compare and see what you think is the best one then go for it! I have heard of My Fitness Pal and Calorie Count.
Kate
Could I do this in a slow cooker? I made a nearly identical recipe from another blog a few weeks back in the SC, but it didn't have the cashew component and I didn't know how those puppies would hold up in it.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Kate! You totally can. You add the cashew cream at the end so just do the same at the end of slow cooking!
Alice
I wanted to try something new. Thanks for sharing. Now I definitely need this book.
veggiesdontbite
You're welcome! You will love the book!
Uma
Looks very comfort food! Like the color too:)
Vegan Heaven
This stew looks so delicious! I definitely need to try this soon. 🙂
Tressie
Usually sweet cravings
Mel |avirtualvegan.com
What a gorgeous looking stew! I would love a big bowl of it right now. Angela's book sounds great. I have her first one. This needs to go on my Christmas list!