This cozy French lentil stew is simmered with savory herbes de Provence, juicy tomatoes, olives, and topped with fresh basil. A healthy vegan comfort food meal that comes together in about an hour!
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup dried French green lentils
- 1 ½ teaspoons herbes de Provence
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup olives*
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon of salt and about ½ teaspoon pepper)
- Fresh basil, for serving
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Coat the bottom of a medium pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
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Add the garlic and cook it for 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Add the water, lentils, and herbes de Provence, then raise the heat and bring the water to a boil.
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Lower the heat and allow the lentils to simmer until just a tad undercooked, about 30 minutes. Add a bit of hot water to the pot if it gets too dry while simmering.
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While the lentils cook, sauté the mushrooms. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place it over medium heat.
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Add the mushrooms in an even layer, being careful to avoid crowding the skillet. Cook the mushrooms in batches if needed.
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Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned and tender.
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Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and transfer them to a plate.
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When the lentils have finished simmering there should be just a bit of water left in the pot — not quite enough to cover the lentils. If there's more than that, drain the lentils and return them to the pot with about ½ cup of water, then return the pot to the burner.
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Add the wine to the pot. Raise the heat and bring it to a simmer. Allow it to cook until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 4 minutes.
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Stir the cooked mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, and capers into the pot. Bring it back up to a simmer.
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Simmer the stew for 5 to 10 minutes more, until the lentils are as tender as you like them and the stew is thick.
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Remove the pot from heat and season the stew with salt and pepper.
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Divide into bowls and top with fresh basil. Serve.
*You can really use whatever variety of olives you like! I used a mix of Kalamata and plain old green olives. If you want your stew to be more authentically French, use a French variety of olive.