Lentils With Dumplings (Printable Version)
Savory lentils with aromatics, crowned by tender, fluffy dumplings for a cozy, vegetarian main.
# What You Need:
→ Lentils & Base
01 - 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, 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 olive oil
12 - Salt and pepper to taste
→ Dumplings
13 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
14 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
15 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (parsley, chives, or thyme)
17 - 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
18 - 1/2 cup milk
# Directions:
01 - Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5–7 minutes until vegetables are softened and fragrant.
02 - Add minced garlic, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until the spices are toasted 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 boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25–30 minutes until the lentils are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
04 - While the lentils simmer, combine 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. Stir in the milk until a soft, sticky dough forms.
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.
06 - Cover the pot tightly and let the dumplings steam over low heat for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time to ensure proper steaming.
07 - Check that the dumplings are puffed and cooked through. Ladle the stew and dumplings into bowls and serve hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The dumplings steam right on top of the stew, so everything cooks in one pot and cleanup is almost nonexistent.
- It costs next to nothing to make but eats like something you would pay good money for at a cozy bistro.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to mingle and deepen overnight.
02 -
- Lifting the lid even once during the dumpling steaming step can leave you with dense, gummy dough instead of light, fluffy pillows, so set a timer and walk away.
- If your lentils are older, they may need an extra ten minutes of simmering, so test them for tenderness before adding the dumplings on top.
03 -
- Rinse the lentils under cold water and pick through them for small stones or debris, because finding a pebble in your stew will ruin the cozy mood instantly.
- Keep the butter for the dumplings in the fridge until the exact moment you need it, since warm butter will melt into the flour instead of creating those little pockets of steam that make them fluffy.