I love stews in the winter, and more so the ones you only need one pan to make a delicious dinner. This is another vegan version of a very traditional Portuguese dish. The original “Jardineira” has beef but here I used green lentils instead, which are full of proteins (if you are worried!) and a lot richer in other nutrients, such as fibre, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and so many others. Go on, give those cows a break!
Time: 50 min approx.
Type: main dish
Difficulty: 1 pan
Serves 3-4 people
What you need
Food:
1 white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbs olive oil
1 bay leaf
500g white potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 large carrot, cut into small pieces
¾ cup green lentils (soak for a few hours prior to cooking)
1 large beef tomato cut into small pieces
Half a can of chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup vegetable stock + add more water as needed
1/4 cup white wine
Paprika, black pepper and salt to taste
1 cup frozen peas
Utensils:
Large pan
Knife
Chopping board
Directions:
Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves;
Cut the potatoes and carrot and set aside;
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Gently fry the onion and garlic for a few minutes;
Add the bay leaf, fresh tomato, paprika, black pepper and salt and let it cook for a few minutes until the tomato is nice and soft;
Add potato and carrot cubes, mixing well for a couple of minutes;
Add wine, stock and chopped tomatoes and bring it to a boil slowly;
Add lentils and enough water to cover all the vegetables and let it cook in medium heat until all is cooked through (might take about 30 minutes)- you can add more water if necessary;
Once vegetables are cooked through, add frozen peas and let it cook for a further 5- 7 minutes;
Adjust spices to taste and remove from the hob. Allow it to sit for about 10/15 minutes for the flavours to set. If you have any left overs, it’s even tastier the next day!
Plant Based Portuguese 