COZY Spanish Red Lentil Stew | Guiso de Lentejas Rojas

📝 Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (35 ml)
• 1 medium onion
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika (1.25 grams)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (1.50 grams)
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads (.17 grams)
• 2 tomatoes (finely grated)
• 1 cup red lentils (190 grams)
• 3 cups water (720 ml)
• handful chopped fresh spinach
• 2 tsp lemon juice (10 ml)
• sea salt & black pepper
• plain Greek yogurt for garnish
• chopped parsley for garnish

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Heat a stock pot with a medium heat and add in the olive oil
2. 2In the meantime, finely chop the onion, roughly chop the garlic, thinly slice the celery sticks, and cut the carrot (peeled) into small bite-sized pieces
3. 3Add the chopped ingredients into the stock pot, mix continuously, after about 5 minutes and the vegetables are lightly sauteed, add in the paprika, cumin, and saffron, quickly mix together, then add in the grated tomatoes and raise to a high heat, mix together and then simmer
4. 4While the grated tomatoes are simmering, add the red lentils into a fine sieve and rinse under water, removing any debris if found
5. 5After 3 to 4 minutes and the grated tomatoes have slightly thickened, add in the rinsed red lentils, water, and bay leaf, mix together, once it comes to a boil, place a lid on the stock pot and lower to a low heat
6. 6Once the red lentils are cooked through, which was 15 minutes in my case (check package instructions on the lentils you are using), add in the chopped spinach, gently mix together until lightly wilted, then season with sea salt & black pepper, squeeze in the lemon juice and give it one final mix, remove from the heat
7. 7Transfer into shallow bowls, top each one off with a dollop of Greek yogurt and fresh parsley, enjoy!