Almond lentil stew

Preparation time

less than 30 mins

Cooking time

30 mins to 1 hour

Serves

Serves 3-4

Dietary

Vegetarian

This easy vegetarian lentil stew is served with cherry tomatoes and cinnamon-flavoured almonds.

This meal is low calorie and if served as four portions provides 351 kcal, 20g protein, 37g carbohydrate (of which 7.5g sugars), 14g fat (of which 1.5g saturates), 11.5g fibre and 1.9g salt per portion.

By Nigel Slater
From Nigel Slater's Dish of the Day

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying the almonds
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 turnip, chopped
  • 2 garliccloves, chopped
  • 150g/5½oz baby button mushrooms, halved
  • 250g/9oz green lentils
  • 1.2 litres/2 pints vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • handful almonds
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the carrot, celery, onion and turnip until softened – about five minutes.

  2. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Fry for a further five minutes.

  3. Add the lentils to the pan. Pour over the stock and add the herbs. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

  4. Just before the end of the cooking time for the stew, in another pan, fry the almonds in a splash of olive oil with the cinnamon for two minutes.

  5. Add the cherry tomatoes and warm through.

  6. Serve the lentil stew with the almonds and tomatoes.

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