If you ask someone in Germany about the origin of lentil stews you will sometimes get the answer »it’s probably something that is coming from here«. It’s a dish everybody knows from their grandparents, so it must be something we invented ;P But that is not the case at all. Of course! ;) Dishes like this one here have been around since the dawn of time. Well, almost. Lentils have been cultivated and used for thousands of years. This version of a classic lentil stew here is called Lentejas con Chorizo – means »Lentils with Chorizo«. That was easy, right? ;P
We are cooking lentil stews quite often here. It’s an easy dish you can prepare without much of a hassle. When it’s cold and wet outside you got yourself the perfect meal to keep you warm and full. Well… and lentils are healthy. Full of fiber, minerals and good for your digestive system and blood sugar levels. Good little fellas ;P
We already have a nice German Lentil Stew here on the blog made with »Knackwürsten« – typical sausages from Germany that are often used in stews. This stew here has some mini chorizo sausages added because it’s the Spanish version of the popular dish. Even though it is not always made with sausages made in Spain… but adding chorizo to a dish never hurts, right? Well, unless you prefer vegetarian or vegan dishes ;)
About that – the dish can easily be turned into a vegetarian/vegan dish, of course. Leave out the bacon and the sausages, and you got yourself a nice vegan dish. The meat adds flavors to the stew but if you add some more spices nobody will notice it’s gone. Some more pepper, smoked paprika or maybe some additional cayenne pepper or chili flakes if you like it spicy… works wonders ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
7 oz. (200g) pardina lentils (dried)
34 fl. oz. (1l) water (plus more if needed)
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced & chopped
1 large onion, sliced & chopped
some olive oil for frying
4.4 oz. (125g) bacon, chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large tomato, peeled & chopped
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika powder
salt, pepper
some oil for frying
several grill chorizos
some fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
some red balsamic vinegar (optional)
(4 Portionen)
200g Pardina Linsen (getrocknet)
1l Wasser, plus ggf. mehr
4-5 Knoblauchzehen, in Scheiben & gehackt
1 große Zwiebel, in Scheiben & gehackt
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
125g Speck, in kleinen Stücken
2 mittelgroße Karotten, fein gehackt
1 grüne Paprika, fein gehackt
1 große Tomate, gehäutet & gewürfelt
2-3 mittelgroße Kartoffeln, geschält & gewürfelt
1 Lorbeerblatt
1/2 TL geräuchertes Paprikapulver
Salz, Pfeffer
etwas Öl zum Anbraten
mehrere Grill Chorizos
etwas frischer Koriander, gehackt (optional)
etwas roter Balsamico Essig (optional)
If you are using legumes in a recipe it often says to let them soak in water before using them – this normally shortens the cooking time. Well… with most lentil types you don’t have to do that. Letting them soak in water shortens the cooking time only by a few minutes. The chances to get mushy lentils is actually bigger if you let them soak in water first – and nobody wants mushy lentils… at least not in this type of stew ;P I only let larger beans and chickpeas soak in water overnight – lentils end up right away in the pot with boiling water.
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel the garlic and cut two of them into slices and chop the rest finely – set the chopped garlic aside. Peel the onion, cut half of it into slices and chop the rest finely – set the chopped onion aside as well. Rinse the lentils and add them together with water, the sliced garlic, and sliced onion to a large pot. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot and let the lentils simmer for about 20 minutes – the lentils should be cooked but not broken or mushy. Drain (save the cooking water!) and set aside.
2. While the lentils are cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients. Peel and chop the carrots very finely. Clean the bell pepper, remove the seeds and chop very finely as well. Peel the tomato (if you blanch it first the tomato is easier to peel), remove the liquid insides (seeds) and cut the rest into small pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-size pieces. Set everything aside.
3. Heat up a large pot (can be the same pot you used for the lentils) with some olive oil. Add the chopped bacon and cook for about 2-3 minutes until nicely browned and crispy. Add the chopped onion and cook with the bacon for another 2-3 minutes until soft and glossy. Add the chopped garlic, carrots, bell pepper, and tomato and mix well to combine. While stirring often let cook for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat so the veggies can soften a bit. If the lentil cooking water you saved is less than 34 fl. oz. (1l) add some additional water to get the needed amount and then add together with the cooked lentils to the pot. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, and smoked paprika powder, and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
4. While the stew is cooking heat up a pan with some oil and fry the chorizo until nicely browned all around and cooked through. Add the sausages to the stew for the last 5 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaf, season with some more salt and pepper if needed, and serve with some chopped cilantro and balsamic vinegar (optional).
1. Den Knoblauch schälen, zwei Knoblauchzehen in Scheiben schneiden und den Rest fein hacken – den gehackten Knoblauch beiseite stellen. Die Zwiebel schälen, die Hälfte davon in Spalten schneiden und den Rest wieder fein hacken. Die gehackte Zwiebel ebenfalls beiseite stellen. Die Linsen kurz abspülen und in einen Topf mit genügend Wasser geben. Knoblauchscheiben und Zwiebelspalten dazugeben. Alles einmal aufkochen lassen, dann die Hitzezufuhr reduzieren, den Topf abdecken und die Linsen etwa 20 Minuten köcheln lassen. Die Linsen sollten gar, aber nicht zerbrochen bzw. breiig sein. Abgießen (das Kochwasser auffangen!) und beiseite stellen.
2. Während die Linsen kochen, kann man die restlichen Zutaten vorbereiten. Die Möhren dafür schälen und sehr fein würfeln. Paprika putzen, entkernen und ebenfalls sehr fein würfeln. Die Tomate schälen (vorher blanchiert lässt sie sich leichter schälen), das flüssige Innere inkl. Kerne entfernen und das Fruchtfleisch in kleine Stücke schneiden. Die Kartoffeln schälen und in mundgerechte Stücke schneiden. Alles zur Seite stellen.
3. Einen großen Topf (kann der Linsentopf sein) mit etwas Olivenöl erhitzen. Den klein geschnittenen Speck dazugeben und etwa 2-3 Minuten anbraten, bis er schön Farbe bekommen hat und knusprig ist. Die gehackte Zwiebel dazugeben und mit dem Speck etwa 2-3 Minuten anschwitzen lassen. Den gehackten Knoblauch, die Karotten- und Paprikawürfel und die Tomate dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Unter häufigem Umrühren etwa 5-6 Minuten bei mittlerer Hitzezufuhr anbraten – das Gemüse sollte schön weich werden. Wenn das Kochwasser der Linsen weniger als 1 L ist, mit Wasser auffüllen, bis die notwendige Menge erreicht ist. Mit den gekochten Linsen in den Topf dazugeben. Kartoffeln und Lorbeerblatt ebenfalls dazugeben und mit Paprikapulver, Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Den Eintopf einmal aufkochen lassen, dann die Hitzezufuhr reduzieren und alles für etwa 20-25 Minuten köcheln lassen.
4. Während der Eintopf kocht, eine Pfanne mit etwas Öl erhitzen und die Chorizo anbraten, bis sie rundherum schön braun und durchgebraten sind. Die Würstchen in den letzten 5 Minuten zum Eintopf geben.
5. Das Lorbeerblatt entfernen, bei Bedarf noch mit Salz und Pfeffer nachwürzen und mit etwas gehacktem Koriander und Balsamico Essig (beides optional) servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
PrintLentejas con Chorizo (Lentil Stew)
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 01:00
- Total Time: 01:20
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Stew
- Cuisine: Spain
Description
A simple and easy-to-prepare stew from Spain: Lentejas with Chorizo. A tasty dish not only for the colder months of the year ;)
Ingredients
7 oz. (200g) pardina lentils (dried)
34 fl. oz. (1l) water (plus more if needed)
4–5 garlic cloves, sliced & chopped
1 large onion, sliced & chopped
some olive oil for frying
4.4 oz. (125g) bacon, chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large tomato, peeled & chopped
2–3 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika powder
salt, pepper
some oil for frying
several grill chorizos
some fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
some red balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
1. Peel the garlic and cut two of them into slices and chop the rest finely – set the chopped garlic aside. Peel the onion, cut half of it into slices and chop the rest finely – set the chopped onion aside as well. Rinse the lentils and add them together with water, the sliced garlic, and sliced onion to a large pot. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot and let the lentils simmer for about 20 minutes – the lentils should be cooked but not broken or mushy. Drain (save the cooking water!) and set aside.
2. While the lentils are cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients. Peel and chop the carrots very finely. Clean the bell pepper, remove the seeds and chop very finely as well. Peel the tomato (if you blanch it first the tomato is easier to peel), remove the liquid insides (seeds) and cut the rest into small pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-size pieces. Set everything aside.
3. Heat up a large pot (can be the same pot you used for the lentils) with some olive oil. Add the chopped bacon and cook for about 2-3 minutes until nicely browned and crispy. Add the chopped onion and cook with the bacon for another 2-3 minutes until soft and glossy. Add the chopped garlic, carrots, bell pepper, and tomato and mix well to combine. While stirring often let cook for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat so the veggies can soften a bit. If the lentil cooking water you saved is less than 34 fl. oz. (1l) add some additional water to get the needed amount and then add together with the cooked lentils to the pot. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, and smoked paprika powder, and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
4. While the stew is cooking heat up a pan with some oil and fry the chorizo until nicely browned all around and cooked through. Add the sausages to the stew for the last 5 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaf, season with some more salt and pepper if needed, and serve with some chopped cilantro and balsamic vinegar (optional).
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
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