I have no clue what you normally serve for dinner, but do you often make dishes with legumes? We always loved to make dishes with beans and lentils but back in the days (means several years ago) we did not cook them that often. Over time this turned into something we do now basically once a week. You might ask why – well because it’s good for your body and your digestive system ;) Legumes have a lot of fiber and your body will thank you if you offer that on a regular basis. Make an easy Mixed Legumes Stew like this one here from time to time – it’s not only delicious but it will also be good for your wellbeing.
When it’s cold here in Germany we love to cook stews. All kinds of stews. “Stew season” basically lasts from October to March, sometimes April here in Berlin. This city can get quite cold in fall and winter… and very wet. During that time I don’t want to spend much time outside tbh. Even our dog that loves to go for a walk will gladly stay in when it’s raining “cats and dogs” – which happens a lot ;P Unfortunately, Bruno (our doggy) has no choice but to go out twice a day to do his “business” and so do we. Having a big pot of lentil stew waiting in the kitchen helps a lot here. You will forget quite quickly about the bad weather. Unfortunately, Bruno (once again) will not benefit from that hot bubbly stew. If he’d eat beans, he would fart all day and night ;P
The stew is based on a vegetarian stew but we like to add a little bacon. Just for the flavor. If you want to turn the recipe back into a vegetarian/vegan recipe, all you have to do is leave out the meaty component. That’s all. All other ingredients in the recipe are actually vegan. You might have to check your veggie broth if you did not buy one that was labeled “vegan” if you want to make this recipe vegan because not every (storebought) veggie broth is vegan… if you cook more often vegan dishes you know that already I guess ;)
As for the legumes – use whatever you want (but make sure the beans or lentils have similar cooking times). In (organic) health food stores you can often find packages of mixed legumes – you can also find the mixed legumes* online, for example. If you have a variety of legumes at home you don’t have to buy pre-made mixes, simply make your own mix. We often have leftover beans and lentils from different packages that are perfect to create a mix for this stew.
Well. Because many tend to ask this question: yes, this stew freezes well ;) If you cook a pot for four persons and there are only two eating you might want to keep leftovers for some time later in the week/month. Storing it in the freezer is the easiest way to do that.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
9 oz. (250g) mixed legumes (e.g. green peas, red and green lentils, white beans, kidney beans, Adzuki beans)
1 bay leaf
some olive oil for cooking
3.5 oz. (100g) bacon, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 leek, cut in rings
2 tbsp. tomato puree
1 can (14 oz. /400g) chunky tomatoes
2 cups (500ml) vegetable broth
2-3 stalks of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt, pepper
some olive oil for drizzling
250g Hülsenfrüchte (z. B. grüne Erbsen, rote & grüne Linsen, weiße Bohnen, Kidneybohnen, Azukibohnen)
1 Lorbeerblatt
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
100g Speck, gewürfelt
1 mittelgroße rote Zwiebel, gewürfelt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, gewürfelt
2 mittelgroße Möhren, gewürfelt
2 Stangen Staudensellerie, gewürfelt
1/2 Lauch, in Ringe geschnitten
2 EL Tomatenmark
1 Dose (400g) stückige Tomaten
500ml Gemüsebrühe
2-3 Stängel glatte Petersilie, gehackt
1 TL Smoked Paprika
1/2 TL Kreuzkümmel, gemahlen
Salz, Pfeffer
etwas Olivenöl zum Beträufeln
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Dice the bacon. Peel and dice the onion and garlic finely. Wash the carrots, celery stalks, and the leek and dice/cut in rings. Set everything aside.
3. Heat up a large pot or dutch oven with some olive oil. Add the diced bacon and fry some time to render out some of the fat. Add the diced onion and garlic and fry until soft and fragrant. Add the diced carrots, celery, and leek and continue cooking over medium-high heat to brown the veggies a bit – about 4-6 minutes. Add the tomato puree and mix in. Let brown for a minute or two, then add the chunky tomatoes, veggie broth, and chopped parsley. Season with smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and fresh ground pepper. Bring to a boil again, add the legumes, then reduce the heat, cover the pot/dutch oven and let the stew simmer for about 30 minutes – stir occasionally. If too much liquid evaporates, add some water.
4. To serve sprinkle the stew with some more chopped parsley, season with more salt and pepper to your liking, and drizzle with some olive oil.
2. Den Speck würfeln. Zwiebel und Knoblauch schälen und fein würfeln. Möhren, Staudensellerie und Lauch waschen und würfeln bzw. in Ringe schneiden. Alles zur Seite stellen.
3. Einen großen (gußeisernen) Topf mit etwas Olivenöl erhitzen. Den Speck dazugeben, anbraten und damit einen Teil des Fetts auslassen. Die gewürfelte Zwiebel und den Knoblauch dazugeben und glasig andünsten. Die Karottenstücke, Stangensellerie und Lauch dazugeben und mit anbraten. Das Gemüse sollte etwas Farbe bekommen – dauert etwa 4-6 Minuten. Das Tomatenmark dazugeben, alles verrühren und dann für 1-2 Minuten mit anbräunen, dann Tomaten, Gemüsebrühe und gehackte Petersilie dazugeben. Mit Paprikapulver, Kreuzkümmel, Salz und frisch gemahlenem Pfeffer würzen. Alles noch einmal aufkochen lassen und dann die Hitzezufuhr reduzieren und den Eintopf für etwa 30 Minuten abgedeckt köcheln lassen – gelegentlich umrühren, damit nichts anbrennt. Sollte zu viel Flüssigkeit verkochen, noch etwas Wasser dazugeben.
4. Zum Servieren den Eintopf mit etwas gehackter Petersilie bestreuen, nach Belieben noch mit etwas mehr Salz und Pfeffer würzen und dann mit etwas Olivenöl beträufeln.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Easy Mixed Legumes Stew
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 01:30
- Total Time: 12:00
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Stews
- Cuisine: International
Description
Not only in winter or fall a good dinner idea – a delicious stew with mixed legumes. We should include more legumes in our regular diet.
Ingredients
9 oz. (250g) mixed legumes (e.g. green peas, red and green lentils, white beans, kidney beans, Adzuki beans)
1 bay leaf
some olive oil for cooking
3.5 oz. (100g) bacon, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 leek, cut in rings
2 tbsp. tomato puree
1 can (14 oz. /400g) chunky tomatoes
2 cups (500ml) vegetable broth
2-3 stalks of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt, pepper
some olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
1. Rinse the mixed beans/lentils and then let soak in water overnight for 8-12 hours. The next day, rinse the mix again, then add to a large pot with lightly salted water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for 60 minutes. Drain the legumes and set aside.
2. Dice the bacon. Peel and dice the onion and garlic finely. Wash the carrots, celery stalks, and the leek and dice/cut in rings. Set everything aside.
3. Heat up a large pot or dutch oven with some olive oil. Add the diced bacon and fry some time to render out some of the fat. Add the diced onion and garlic and fry until soft and fragrant. Add the diced carrots, celery, and leek and continue cooking over medium-high heat to brown the veggies a bit – about 4-6 minutes. Add the tomato puree and mix in. Let brown for a minute or two, then add the chunky tomatoes, veggie broth, and chopped parsley. Season with smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and fresh ground pepper. Bring to a boil again, add the legumes, then reduce the heat, cover the pot/dutch oven and let the stew simmer for about 30 minutes – stir occasionally. If too much liquid evaporates, add some water.
4. To serve sprinkle the stew with some more chopped parsley, season with more salt and pepper to your liking, and drizzle with some olive oil.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
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