Smoky, sweet and nutty flavours combine into this rich Spanish inspired vegan lentil stew. Vegan chorizo, plenty of veggies, green lentils and smoked paprika make this a nourishing and comforting dish.
Whenever we travel in a country we love to pick up local produce and cook up a storm in our tiny campervan kitchen. This dish is full of fresh veggies and the classic flavour of Spain - smokey paprika! This tasty vegan lentil stew also features two other stars of Spanish cuisine:
Spanish lentils
Lentejas de la Armuña are a geographically protected crop from the La Armuña region of Spain, to the north of Salamanca. Like their better known French cousin the Puy lentil they are also green, but the similarities end there.
Lentejas de la Armuña are lighter green and rather flat. They are also much larger, averaging 5-7 millimetres. This makes for a substantial and rich texture when you use them in a dish. They cook very well, without separating from their skins, which gives an even bite.
They are also remarkably rich in calcium, iron, protein and other nutrients when compared to other lentil varieties. Add to all that a full, nutty flavour, and these Spanish lentils certainly have a lot going for them!
If you can’t find Spanish lentils, then medium sized green or brown lentils, will work just as well for this stew.
Vegan chorizo
This spicy sausage is a Spanish speciality. Full of garlic and smoked paprika it packs quite a flavour punch! Vegan versions are typically made with soy, tofu, or seitan and are easily found in Spain and Portugal.
After much testing, we’ve finally cracked our own vegan chorizo recipe - it’s spicy, slices beautifully and tastes amazing! You gotta try it.
If you don’t want to make your own, or can’t find any vegan chorizo to buy, try substituting smoked tofu or vegan sausage and add a good amount of paprika and salt when you are frying it.
Cooking tips
You can make our vegan lentil stew in a pan on the stove, or you can pressure cook it to make it even quicker.
We recommend soaking the lentils to reduce their cooking time. If you don’t have time to soak overnight, you can quick soak them in boiling water for half an hour.
The stew is pretty simple to make. Prep the veggies, start by frying the onions and garlic, then add the red pepper, tomato puree, paprika. Fry for another minute to coat everything in the spices, then simply add all the remaining ingredients and simmer until the lentils are tender.
The only other critical thing is the frying of the vegan chorizo. Vegan chorizo tends to behave quite differently from its non-vegan counterpart. So, instead of cooking the chorizo in the stew, we recommend frying the slices on their own before adding to the final stew. This allows the vegan chorizo to get nicely crisp, rather than going soggy from cooking in the stew.
We’re big fans of lentils! You too? Get inspired by these vegan lentil recipes:
Try this protein packed Lentil Risotto
Our Vegan Red Lentil Dal that we love so much we had it at our wedding
Or this Vegan Lentil Ragu that is perfect for pasta, lasagne, calzone and more!
Love and pea… erm, lentils.
Paul & Sophie
📖 Recipe
Spanish Lentil Stew with Vegan Chorizo
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (270 g) green lentils or Lentejas de la Armuña
- 1 tbsp (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 carrot
- 1 sweet potato
- ½ (0.5) red pepper
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) smoked paprika
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 3 ½ cups (625 g) water (less if using pressure cooker method)
- 1 tbsp (0.5) lemon juice (½ a lemon)
- 1 tsp stock powder or bouillon
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 15 cm vegan chorizo
Instructions
- Soak lentils overnight or quick soak in boiling water for 30 mins.
- Prepare the veggies: Chop the onion and garlic. Dice the red pepper and sweet potato. Slice the carrot.
- In a large saucepan, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil. Then add the onion and garlic and fry until the onion gets soft and brown.
- Then add the smoked paprika, paprika, red pepper and tomato puree. Stir frequently and fry for another minute.
- Next add the water, lemon juice, soaked lentils, carrot, sweet potato, stock powder, oregano, bay leaves, salt & pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, and cook with a lid on for 20-30 mins or until lentils are tender.
- In a frying pan, fry the sliced chorizo in olive oil until it crisps up. Then add to the stew before serving.
Pressure Cooker Method
- Follow the method above, simply reduce the water added to 2 ½ cups.
- Pressure cook for 15 minutes on high pressure, and release pressure naturally.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Want more recipes that go great with this vegan lentil stew? Check out these 12 Vegan Spanish Recipes You Need to Try!
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