Lentils with Dumplings (Printable)
Savory lentils simmered in aromatic broth, topped with pillowy dumplings for a comforting vegetarian main.
# What you'll need:
→ Lentils & Base
01 - 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed and picked over
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and 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 extra virgin olive oil
12 - Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Dumplings
13 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
14 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
15 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (parsley, chives, or thyme)
17 - 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
18 - 1/2 cup whole milk, cold
# How to make it:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent.
02 - Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir continuously and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant and the tomato paste deepens in color.
03 - Stir in the rinsed lentils and bay leaf. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the lentils are tender. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.
04 - While the lentils simmer, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and dried herbs in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed cold butter and cut it in using your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the cold milk and stir gently just until a soft, slightly sticky dough comes together. Do not overmix.
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. Cover the pot tightly with a lid and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Resist lifting the lid during steaming to ensure the dumplings puff properly.
06 - Check that the dumplings are puffed, set, and cooked through. Ladle the stew into warm bowls, ensuring each serving gets a generous portion of dumplings. Garnish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice if desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The dumplings steam right on top of the lentils, so everything cooks in one pot and cleanup is almost nothing.
- It tastes like it took all day but most of the time is just simmering while you do other things.
- The leftovers are arguably better the next day, when the flavors have had time to settle into something deeper and richer.
02 -
- Lifting the lid while the dumplings steam lets the heat escape and they will collapse, so set a timer and walk away if you are tempted to check.
- The lentils will continue to absorb liquid as they sit, so if you are making this ahead, add a splash of broth when reheating to loosen things back up.
03 -
- Rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingers instead of a fork gives you better control over the texture, and the warmth of your hands helps just enough without melting it completely.
- Toasting the smoked paprika in the oil for those two minutes before adding liquid is the step that turns this from a good lentil stew into one people will ask you to make again.