Lentils with Dumplings (Printable)
Savory lentils simmered with aromatics, finished with pillowy dumplings for a warming vegetarian main.
# What You'll Need:
→ Lentils & Base
01 - 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 bay leaf
07 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
08 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 - 4 cups vegetable broth
11 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 - Salt and pepper to taste
→ Dumplings
13 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
14 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
15 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (parsley, chives, or thyme)
17 - 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
18 - 1/2 cup milk
# Directions:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables are softened and fragrant.
02 - Add minced garlic, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until the spices are fragrant and the paste darkens slightly.
03 - Stir in the rinsed lentils and bay leaf. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until lentils are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
04 - While the lentils simmer, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and dried herbs in a mixing bowl. Cut in the cold cubed butter using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
05 - Remove and discard the bay leaf from the lentil mixture. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dumpling dough evenly over the surface of the simmering stew.
06 - Cover the pot tightly and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid during steaming. Dumplings should be puffed, light, and cooked through. Serve hot.
# Cooking Tips:
01 -
- The dumplings steam right on top of the lentils, so you get a full meal from a single pot with almost no extra effort.
- It costs next to nothing to make and reheats beautifully the next day for lunch.
02 -
- Lifting the lid during the steaming step lets all the precious heat escape and your dumplings will collapse into sad, dense lumps, so set a timer and walk away.
- Rinsing the lentils removes dust and debris that can make the broth taste flat, so do not skip that quick rinse under cold water.
03 -
- The wetter your lentil mixture is when you add the dumplings, the better they will steam, so do not be tempted to thicken the broth before topping.
- For vegan dumplings, swap the butter for cold vegan margarine and use any plant based milk, the texture stays remarkably close to the original.