If, like me, you are a little chillier in the evening time and are looking for a bowl of comfort food to pair alongside a nice glass of red wine, then look no further than this hearty (and delicious) bowl of green lentil stew!
This stew is packed with flavour, full of healthy ingredients, tastes bloody good, and is really easy to make too. There really is no excuse to not tuck into a bowl of my delicious green lentil bacon stew.
sponsored by Mollydooker Wines, Mclaren Vale
Making Lentil Bacon Stew
Simple - that's the aim of the game here. The beauty of it, though, is anyone you serve this to is gonna think you slaved away for bloody ages making this lentil bacon stew. What I have found through the years of cooking it's the extra little touches that take a dish from being good to having that WOW factor. Here I have added a delicious fried egg on top and some crusty bread that I have rubbed in garlic once toasted. It's those little things that make it a little more "cheffy"
Gather your ingredients
One of the most important steps and easiest one to do. Get all the ingredients ready before you start! It may take a little longer the first time you make the dish but TRUST ME - it'' make sure you don't make (many) mistakes as you rush around the kitchen searching for something you forgot 😉
Open some wine!
Scrap what I said above - I reckon this is the most important step in cooking! Where is the fun in slaving away in the kitchen without a nice drop of red whilst making my lentil bacon stew!
Fry the bacon
Once you have everything ready to go, then heat that pan up - I've used a high-sided frying pan, but any large saucepan will work too. Add a little oil; this amount depends upon how fatty your bacon is, and fry the bacon until crisp. Remove it from the pan and head onto the next step.
Cook the veg
In the same pan, using the bacon fat, cook off your vegetables and garlic for about 2-3 mins until softened slightly. You are about 1/2 way there to having an epic bowl of lentil bacon stew.
Add the liquids
If you haven't finished the bottle of wine, add some along with the tinned tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
Add the lentils
The final step of your delicious lentil bacon stew is to add the lentils and stock and simmer for 20-25mins. I like my lentils a touch al dente so don't be afraid to dunk a spoon in and taste it. Add more stock if you feel you want them cooked a little longer!
Garnish
There you have it - delicious bacon lentil stew. As mentioned above, I add a drizzle of creme fraiche, a fried egg and some garlic-rubbed bread for a little extra WOW factor, but all these are optional.
Mollydooker Wines
You may have seen me pour, drink or cook with these cracking wines from Mclaren Vale. Mollydooker is one of my favourite wineries because not only do they make great wine, but the consistency year in, year out is spot on. I think that's the true mark of a great wine, winery or winemaker; even when things (the weather) don't go 100% your way, you can still produce quality. On that note, Mollydooker has been known to not even make some of their wines if certain vintages don't hold up. If that's not dedication, then what is?
The wine in question today is their beautiful Two Left Feet - this is a blend of Shiraz, Merlot & Cabernet. Mollydooker, for those who don't know, is Aussie slang for being left-handed. The wine plays on; what happens when you drink some Mollydooker and try to dance? Two left feet!
This was a match made in heaven for my delicious lentil bacon stew. The wine has layers of flavours, with all 3 grape varieties bringing a little something to the table and working well as a threesome! Ripe dark fruits, silky vanilla notes, layers of spice, ripe tannins and great length. For the price that it is - you'd be mad not to pick up a 6pck!
Alternative Comfort Food Recipes
Inspired by my delicious lentil bacon stew and need a few more bowls of comfort food in your life? Then check out these delicious dishes below and get cooking!
Scottish Lamb Stew w/Dumplings
Mushroom & Sweet Potato Lasagne
Beef Ossobucco, Mash & Anchovy Dressing
If you need any further inspo, then feel free to browse the many recipes on my site or hit me up on insta for more!
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
- 1 cup green lentils
- 200 g bacon lardons
- ½ brown onion diced
- 1 celery diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 400 g tinned tomatoes - crushed
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 100 ml red wine
- oil
- salt
Garnish
- 4 eggs
- crème fraiche
- chopped parsley
- crusty bread
- 1 clove garlic
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- Casserole dish/large pan
- measuring/weighing utensils
- grill pan
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a little oil for 4-5 mins, remove and set aside.
- In the pan with the bacon fat cook onions for 2mins and then add celery, carrot & garlic and cook for a further 2-3mins.
- Add red wine, tinned tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
- Next, add lentils and stock and cook for 20-25mins – adding more stock if necessary.
- Serve with a fried egg, chopped parsley, a dollop of crème fraiche and some grilled bread rubbed in the garlic *see tips*
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- when using lentils, make sure to rinse them and check for grit/stones before cooking
- green lentils don’t require soaking before use
- I like my lentils a little al dente so add more stock if you prefer them a little softer
- grill the bread using a little oil and rub the grilled bread with the raw garlic clove – trust me!
This Lentil Bacon Stew is delicious! I love the addition of the potatoes.
this looks so good Gavin. Just what I need on a cold Brisbane night! We don't eat bacon but perhaps you can add mushrooms and capers? Or is that too weird? 🙂 Keep warm.
you could defo add mushrooms in - maybe even some grilled chicken to finish too!