Lentils With Dumplings (Print Version)
Tender lentils in a rich vegetable stew, crowned with light, fluffy dumplings for ultimate comfort.
# What You'll 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
# Directions:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, sliced celery, and minced garlic. Sauté until vegetables are softened, approximately 5 minutes.
02 - Stir in 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 lentils are tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Add cold diced butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk until just combined; be careful not to overmix.
04 - Increase heat under the pot to bring the stew to a lively simmer. Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough (about 1 tbsp each) onto the surface of the stew, yielding 8–10 dumplings. Cover the pot tightly and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until dumplings are puffed and cooked through.
05 - Taste the stew and adjust seasoning as needed. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley before serving if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The entire meal cooks in one pot, which means cleanup is almost embarrassingly easy.
- Those dumplings steaming on top of the stew will make your kitchen smell like someone who really knows what they are doing lives there.
- It costs very little to make and reheats beautifully the next day, if you even have leftovers.
02 -
- Do not lift the lid while the dumplings are steaming, because every peek releases steam and they need that trapped heat and moisture to cook through properly.
- Cold butter is non-negotiable for the dumplings, since warm butter will make them dense and heavy instead of light and pillowy.
03 -
- Drop the dumpling dough from a spoon held close to the surface of the stew so the batter lands softly and keeps its shape rather than splashing into the liquid.
- A glass of Pinot Noir beside this bowl turns a Tuesday dinner into something that feels deliberate and cared for.