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This cozy Red Lentil and Artichoke Stew is a delicious aromatic, fiber-packed, tasty Middle Eastern-style dish, and it’s great served over brown rice or your favorite pasta.
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Easy to make stew
I’ve also served this easy to make stew with pita or flatbread for dipping and grabbing, as well as served it over mashed potatoes (because I had some leftover).
It’s a vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make stew that’s full of flavor, and is a health-promoting winner!
Lentils cook relatively quickly, in about 20 minutes, making this a great option for a weeknight meatless meal, perfect for Meatless Monday.
What are red lentils?
Lentils are small, round legumes that range in color from yellow to red to green, brown, and even black.
They are inexpensive, nutritious, and can be stored for a long time without refrigeration, making them a great shelf-stable ingredient.
Lentils are packed full of protein, fiber, and iron, and they’re so comforting and filling.
Red lentils are a beautiful orange-pink color, and they tend to break down more during cooking than other varieties of lentils. This makes cooked red lentils into more of a porridge, which makes them perfect for thick soups, stews, and dals.
What if I can’t find red lentils?
You can buy (affiliate links) red lentils on Amazon. That’s where I bought mine, with an Amazon Fresh order.
If you don’t want to order online, and your store doesn’t carry red lentils, simply substitute green or brown lentils.
Please note, using different types of lentils will change the cooking time for this lentil stew recipe! You’ll probably need to cook brown and green lentils a bit longer than the red variety.
What kind of artichokes should I use?
There are lots of different kinds of artichokes when I look at the store. I see canned artichoke hearts, artichoke bottoms, quartered artichokes, frozen artichokes, marinated, and in water.
Unfortunately, it seems like I never see the same varieties all the time.
So, let me just say that any of these varieties will work.
If you have a choice, try to grab canned artichoke bottoms in water. They will have less fat than marinated ones (because of the marinating oil). And, artichoke bottoms tend to be more tender than artichoke hearts.
Of course, you can cook your own fresh artichoke, but that requires an extra step. Or, maybe you cooked up a bunch of artichokes and you have some leftover. Definitely, go for it!
To be honest, when I make this stew for my husband, I leave the artichokes out of it. He isn’t a fan of the green vegetable, and the stew is so good without them that I don’t mind not tossing them in.
You’ll love this stew because
• It’s a delicious comfort food meal
• Protein-packed
• A one-pot meal with easy cleanup
• Plant-based
• Filling and hearty
• Budget-friendly (inexpensive)
• Great as leftovers
• Makes a nice big pot of stew for dinner
Budget-friendly
This recipe for Red Lentil and Artichoke Stew is a great example that eating plant-based meals does not have to be expensive. Legumes, like lentils, are not only cheaper than meat, but they are also packed full of protein, fiber, iron, and other antioxidants and nutrients.
Serve it with some fun Baklava Thumbprint Cookies.
How to cook brown rice
My favorite way to serve this is over perfectly cooked brown rice.
And I recently found the secret to great brown rice. So I thought I’d share how to cook it.
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ¾ cups filtered water and 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice to a boil.
Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat to low simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat (leave the lid on), and let steam for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
You can also cook brown rice in the rice cooker using the same water to rice ratio. If the rice is undercooked at the end of cooking, add 1-2 tablespoons liquid, and steam a bit longer.
Other great lentil recipes
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Red Lentil and Artichoke Stew Recipe
Red Lentil and Artichoke Stew
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 garlic cloves pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup dry red lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups water
- 1 24- ounce can crushed tomatoes fire roasted if you can find it
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- ½ cup quartered artichoke bottoms or artichoke hearts frozen or drained canned
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Lemon wedges for serving if desired
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and sauté on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the lentils, bay leaf, and water to the pan and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat, then add the canned tomatoes and crushed red pepper (if using), and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Add artichokes, salt, and pepper to taste, heat through.
- Serve stew over brown rice or pasta.
- Serve with lemon wedges if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Kathleen Pope
I love everything about this dish. Simple ingredients, rich, filling, full of aromatic spices — comfort food at it’s finest!