Lentils With Dumplings (Printable)
Tender lentils in a rich vegetable stew crowned with light, fluffy dumplings for the ultimate comfort food experience.
# What You Need:
→ Lentil Stew
01 - 1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
07 - 4 cups vegetable broth
08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 1 tsp dried thyme
10 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
11 - 2 tbsp olive oil
12 - Salt and pepper, to taste
13 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
→ Dumplings
14 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
15 - 1 ½ tsp baking powder
16 - ½ tsp salt
17 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and diced
18 - ½ cup milk
# How-To:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, sliced celery, and minced garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
02 - Stir in the rinsed lentils, diced tomatoes with their juice, vegetable broth, bay leaf, dried thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25–30 minutes until the lentils are tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
03 - While the stew simmers, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cold diced butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk until just combined; be careful not to overmix.
04 - Increase the heat so the lentil stew is at a lively simmer. Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough (about 1 tablespoon each) onto the surface of the stew, making 8–10 dumplings. Cover the pot tightly and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
05 - Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning as needed. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley before serving, if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It costs almost nothing to make yet tastes like something you would pay good money for at a countryside tavern.
- The dumplings steam right on top of the stew, so everything cooks in one pot and cleanup is almost nonexistent.
- You likely have most of the ingredients sitting in your kitchen right now, which means no special shopping trip required.
02 -
- Resist every urge to lift the lid while the dumplings are steaming, because even a quick peek can leave you with dense, sad little dough balls instead of pillowy ones.
- The stew will thicken as it sits, so if you are reheating leftovers the next day, add a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up.
03 -
- Rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingers rather than a fork gives you better control over the texture and warms the butter just enough to create those perfect flaky layers.
- If your lentils are older, they may take longer to cook, so start testing for tenderness at the twenty minute mark and add a few extra minutes if needed.