The couple of winter months after Christmas just slog along. Even here in South Carolina, where things never really get too cold or too gray, it can still be a bit of a drain. There’s nothing to look forward to except spring, which feels a ways away, and it’s not as fun to lean into things like hot chocolate and cozy socks and baking 1000 cookies because Christmas has passed (or am I being a Scrooge?).
That goes for cooking, too. I love a solid, hearty, winter meal, but things can get a little one-note during this time. This is especially true if you don’t eat meat like me. Roasting vegetables brings out such a depth of sweetness and flavor, but it can take a while, and sometimes I want just a quick but good, easy but comfy weekday meal while I’m busy doing a million other things around the house.
Enter this comforting, low key hearty lentil and fennel stew.
Most of your time making this is truly inactive, as the lentils need to soak for about an hour, and it also cooks for about an hour. Also, you are using the tops of the fennel, which usually get discarded. You can use the tops in this hearty lentil and fennel stew and save the bulb for a million other recipes. When you read this recipe, I know you’re going to look at this tiny list of ingredients and be like “you’re lying, this is gonna be nasty and taste like dirty water” but I swear it’s deceptively tasty. Because it’s a really chill preparation, you can also customize it in a bunch of ways, and I’ll give you tips about that in the process.
Time
- Active: 10 minutes
- Inactive: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 1 bulb of fennel, just the tops
- 1 lb. of green or red lentils
- 6-7 cups of vegetable stock
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 egg
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Lemon wedge
Process
- Dump your lentils into a big stockpot. Sort through them to remove any stones or little weird ones.
- Chop your fennel tops into bite-sized pieces. They don’t have to be precisely the same. Use the stalks and the little fronds at the top. Save the bulb for another recipe.
- Add the fennel to the lentils with a big pinch of salt, then cover with your stock. You might need to use a little more or less stock, but you want the liquid to be about 1.5″ above the lentils. If later you feel like you need more liquid, it’s not a big deal, honey. You can just add some more when you start cooking.
- Let the lentils soak for about an hour.
- Chop up your fresh garlic and add it to the pot. If you want to add more to up the health of this dish, no one’s stopping you bb!
- Bring the lentils up to a boil, then back down to a simmer. You are going to simmer these for 45-55 minutes. If you see here that the liquid is looking really low, like those lentils were just thirsty and drank it all up, now’s the time to add some more. Do it slowly, though, maybe a half cup at a time.
- Once the lentils are cooked, take the pot off the heat. Crack the egg into the pot and swirl it through the lentils. The heat still in the stew will cook the egg. Obviously, you can totally leave this out.
- When you serve, drizzle some olive oil right on top and give it a squeeze of lemon juice.
My husband, a man who existed on Clif bars and Red Bull before I met him, loves this dish with tart cherry tomatoes chopped and added to the top. Other really delicious garnishes are more fresh chopped fennel fronds, parmesan shavings, scallions, or fresh dill. To make this vegan, you could leave out the egg and garnish with vegan cheese and maybe a touch more olive oil. I bet this would be really great with a meat stock like chicken or turkey, too. We served ours with thick slices of crusty bread schmeared with warm Irish butter and flaky sea salt.
Hearty Lentil & Fennel Stew
Ingredients
- 1 bulb fennel, just the stalks and fronds
- 1 lb. green or red lentils
- 6-7 cups vegetable (or any) stock
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 egg
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Add your lentils to a big stock pot. Rinse and drain, sorting out any pebbles or other oddities you find.
- Chop the fennel stalks and fronds into bite-sized pieces. Save the bulb for another recipe.
- Add the fennel to the lentils along with a big pinch of salt. Cover with your stock, making sure the liquid is about 1.5" above the vegetables.
- Soak the lentils for 1 hour.
- Mince the garlic and add to the pot.
- Bring the lentils up to a boil, then back down to a simmer. Simmer these for 45-55 minutes.
- Once the stew is cooked, remove from the heat. Crack the egg into the pot and stir throughout. The residual heat will cook the egg.
- Serve warm, drizzling with olive oil and a squeeze of a lemon wedge.
Notes
- You may have to use more or less stock during this process. You can add more stock after soaking if needed.
- Use vegetable stock to keep this vegetarian, but of course use bone broth or meat stock if you prefer.
- Using an egg will add richness, but you can skip this step if you prefer.
- Other great garnishes are fresh dill, chopped tomatoes, or sour cream.
- This stores in the fridge for 4-5 days. It also freezes well.
What garnishes will you add to your bowl of hearty lentil and fennel stew? Let me know over on Instagram!
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