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East-West Lentil Stew

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East West Lentil Stew recipe

This was a creation on a whim. I wasn’t in the mood to cook (oh yes, this happens even to me) and Todd was coming home in 30 minutes. ย I needed something quick to make. ย I opened my freezer and saw the homemade Mexican chorizo I had made and frozen a few weeks ago. ย I also had some butternut squash that needed to be used.ย Chorizo and butternut squash…I figured the cinnamon accents and spiciness of the chorizo would complement the sweetness of the squash. I opened one of my pantry closets and a big bag of green lentils immediately caught my eye. A perfect ingredient to bind the other two together.

I sauteed some onion and garlic in olive oil and browned the chorizo in it, added the diced squash and let it caramelize a bit, then added the lentils, a little celery, some chicken stock, a bay leaf, freshly ground pepper and salt, and some…why not?…curry powder (I reasoned that the cinnamon in the chorizo would complement the curry. And it did.) This simmered for a while and my kitchen was soon filled with a lovely sweet and spicy aroma. ย I added some Swiss chard in at the end for some added color, texture and nutrition. ย It was delicious!

So having combined the Eastern influence of Indian curry powder with the sweet and spicy Western accents of Mexican chorizo, I ended up with what I simply named East-West Lentil Stew. An unusual combination that worked really well. ย A hearty, satisfying lentil stew for a cold winter’s evening (it’s still technically winter, you know…at least until tomorrow ;)

AND here is another use for that wonderful homemade Mexican chorizo!

east west lentil stew indian mexican

east west lentil stew indian mexican

East-West Lentil Stew

A union of Mexican and Indian flavors in a hearty, satisfying lentil stew!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Soups &amp, Stews
Cuisine Indian, Mexican
Servings 4
Calories 432 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 small onion , diced
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/4 lb Mexican chorizo , click link for easy homemade chorizo!
  • 2 cups butternut squash , diced
  • 1 stalk celery , diced
  • 1 cup lentils
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup Swiss chard , thinly sliced

Instructions
 

  • In a heavy pot or Dutch oven saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent, add the chorizo and brown, add the squash and celery and saute for another 2 minutes, add the lentils, stock, bay leaf, curry powder, and salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are soft. Add the Swiss chard and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 432kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 22gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 495mgPotassium: 1008mgFiber: 17gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 8219IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 5mg
Keyword Curried Lentil Soup, Lentil Stew
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




5 from 1 vote

8 Comments

  1. This recipe is super delicious! I found it in University three years ago, and it is still my all time favourite soup.

  2. This sounds absolutely wonderful! I just happen to have the right amount of chorizo in my freezer and just bought some green lentilsโ€ฆ I’m definitely going to try this this week!

    1. Perfect! Have you been treating your husband to his accustomed favorites lately before you venture off into something new and experimental? :) This was an “experimental” stew for sure – we really enjoyed the results! Let me know how it goes.

      1. I just made this tonight and it was wonderful, except for one thing: I had some good, locally-made Mexican chorizo, and I had forgotten that the longer you cook hot peppers, the hotter they get. So this dish was really, really hot!! Next time I will brown it separately and add it at the end, if I use commercially made chorizo. I did use more chard than the one cup, and used garam masala instead of curry powder (I thought that would be good, and only later did I discover that I have no curry powder in the house). :-)) This may have been an experiment but it was a very nice one. I do try to make sure I don’t overdo the new recipes for my husband, but he is generally a pretty good sport, as long as I’m not doing Thai dishes. We’ve decided that for the other half of this recipe we are definitely having beer with it (any excuse will doโ€ฆ).

        1. Glad to hear it was a success! I am surprised to hear though that such a small quantity of chorizo resulted in such a spicy hot stew. The store-bought Mexican chorizo that I’ve tried has always been very mild – almost sweet. Same with my homemade chorizo. I suppose there are spicy hot varieties as well, which you evidently had the [mis]fortune of using ;) In any case, spicy and all, I’m glad you enjoyed it!