This lentil stew “recipe” is very fluid in the sense that not only are substitutions and/or additions possible, they’re strongly encouraged. For that reason, let’s call it a make-it-your-own recipe.

Of course, if you make it the way I did, it’s both vegan and gluten-free. If neither of those qualities matter to you, then go forth and do as you wish.

The Ingredients

It all started with chopping up one large white onion.

The next step: cubing three small-ish Maine potatoes that were at a use-or-lose point. (They don’t need to be at that point - I’m just being honest about my oversight.)

You could opt for another type of white potato, or opt for Yukon gold, blue potato, red potato… even go for sweet potato if you have it on hand (yum).

And then I thought, “Ooh! Peas, please!” There was a half-used bag of frozen peas in the freezer that was fair game. Perfect.

A bag of frozen mixed vegetables would be great, or you might opt to add butternut squash, carrot, parsnip… really, whatever veggies you like.

It’s the lentils that make this lentil stew, and I used two cups of red lentils for my version.

If you use another type of lentil, you’ll likely need to cook it longer to get it to the right consistency.

Alternatively, you might opt for Basmati rice or give quinoa or another grain a go. Just adjust your cooking time accordingly and plan to use half again as much liquid as is called for in the grain package instructions.

And of course there had to be spices. Here’s what spoke to me:

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon 21 Seasoning Salute

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 drop garlic oil (because I didn’t have fresh garlic and can’t abide by the jarred diced garlic. ugh.)

I also added about 1 teaspoon of sea salt. (Kosher salt is another great option.)

Other spices you might consider:

• garam masala

• curry

• coriander

• cayenne

The Method

Dump the spices into the pot you’re using and turn the heat on medium/medium-high.

Keep an eye on them and give them a nudge with your wooden spoon or utensil of choice now and again until you can really smell them. It’ll only take a few minutes.

(Hint: They’ll smell warm.)

Now, add the onion, potato, peas and lentils, plus water. (Two cups of lentils = five cups of water. Feel free to substitute with vegetable stock or, if you prefer, a meat stock.)

And speaking of meat… If you want to add meat to this, you might consider:

• chicken

• lamb

• pork

• ham

Bring it to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer with the lid slightly ajar. Let it cook for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to prevent sticking.

The consistency will be relatively thick - you know, stew-like.

(You could probably cook this up in a slow cooker. Just make sure that if you add meat it’s at least par-cooked already.)

When it’s done, scoop it into your bowl (tippity-top photo) and serve with rice or bread or warm tortillas, or go really authentic and serve it with naan (Indian flatbread).

This batch of lentil stew served me with six bowls of goodness - that’s six meals for me, since I’m the only one who ate it. I guess that makes it economical, too.

I hope you enjoy.

Blessed be.