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French lentils are smaller than traditional brown lentils and hold their “bite” after being simmered in the savory broth of this veggie-packed stew. Parsnips, carrots, and celery join forces to form a tasty base that invites in all the best fall produce. Umami-rich mushrooms are sauteéd with juicy tomatoes and briney capers before being added to the pot and infusing everything with finger-licking-good flavor. Garnish each serving with fresh parsley and serve with whole grain crispbread crackers for dunking!

Fore more lentil recipes, check out these tasty ideas:

By Shelli McConnell,

Ingredients

  • ½ cup chopped shallots
  • ½ cup sliced celery
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 medium parsnips, narrow ends halved lengthwise and sliced, wide ends quartered lengthwise and sliced (2⅓ cups)
  • 2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced (1 cup)
  • 1 cup dry French green lentils or black beluga lentils
  • 1 tablespoon dried herbs de Provence, crushed
  • 8 oz. fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced (3 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 14.5-oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • Chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan cook shallots and celery over medium 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally and adding water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Add broth, parsnips, carrots, lentils, and herbs de Provence. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are tender.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook mushrooms in vinegar over medium high 8 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir mushrooms, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, and capers into pan; cook until heated through. Season with salt.
  • Top servings with freshly cracked black pepper and chopped fresh parsley.

Comments (6)

(5 from 4 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Carol

Thick, hearty and tasty. First time cooking with parsnips. Nice alternative to white potatoes. Subbed balsamic wine vinegar for the red wine vinegar – a plus Subbed Italian seasonings for herbs de Provence as no lavender in it Didn’t have tomato paste available The capers I had were too old. Next time fresher.

Lesley

Fabulous recipe! Love braising those veggies rather than sautéeing in oil. The herbes de Provence adds wonderful flavor - I did not feel need to salt this stew at all. A keeper for sure!

Val

SO SO SO SOOOO GOOD! I wanted to let readers know that this one's a real winner. Thank you!

Lydia

Like Leslie wrote, my husband and I both agreed that this is the best soup we've had- certainly the best lentil soup (which is saying something since we're both lentil soup fans!). We're living somewhere where parsnips are hard to come by and red wine vinegar is not on offer, so we substituted a sweet potato and I cooked the mushrooms in balsamic vinegar. I always double the garlic in these recipes, too. But otherwise, I made it exactly as is and will definitely make it again soon.

Leslie

I rarely post reviews but this recipe is 5 stars! My husband said it’s the best soup he’s ever had. I followed the recipe with the following modifications: Didn’t have herbs de Provence so looked up the recipe online. Used rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil, oregano, and tarragon. Didn’t have fennel, savory, or bay powder. Had bay leaf so put one in. Added 1-2 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon Sauteed Onion soup base instead of salt. Probably was a bit more liberal with the other spices, but I don’t really “measure”. Served it with lemon slices and a dollop of Tofutti vegan sour cream. Excellent!

Dianne

Why is the feature missing to add this to the planner?

About the Author

Headshot of Shelli McConnell

About the Author

Shelli McConnell

Shelli McConnell graduated with a bachelor of science in consumer food science and a minor in journalism from Iowa State University. She began her career as a home economist in the Better Homes & Gardens test kitchen before moving into an editorial position within DotDash Meredith. She has since freelanced for 25 years and has served as an editorial project manager for many books and magazines, including three editions of the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book. She has also developed thousands of recipes for publications including Forks Over Knives magazine; Eat This, Not That!; Diabetic Living; Better Homes & Gardens; The Magnolia Journal; and more. McConnell loves to entertain and inspire, so when she’s not in her office, she’s usually in her kitchen. Find her on LinkedIn.
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