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Easy lentil stew with mashed potatoes
Have you been looking for a quick and easy to make dinner? A dinner which contains healthy plant-based protein, fiber, and so much flavor? If yes, then definitely check out this easy lentil stew with mashed potatoes. It’s vegan, gluten-free, healthy, grain-free, and super delicious.
Mashed potatoes and lentils, a perfect match?
I love potatoes and mashed potatoes actually remind me of my childhood. My mom used to make them quite often but I don’t remember I ever ate lentils over mashed potatoes. After I saw an Instagram post from Minimalistbaker, one of my favorite bloggers, I fell in love with one of her dishes. She made an easy lentil stew over mashed potatoes and I knew I had to try this combo. And let me tell you, this combo is the bomb! A big thanks to Dana for this lovely recipe inspiration.
Easy lentil stew variations
If you follow me on Instagram you might have noticed that I not only love potatoes but also rice. I post a lot of dishes with rice, for example, my beloved vegan chickpea curry or my creamy vegan mushroom risotto. This easy lentil stew also tastes great in combination with rice. So if you love to vary your dishes, definitely give it a try with rice as well.
Add your favorite veggies
I have made this easy lentil stew already a couple of times with mushrooms but I love to add different veggies as well. My favorite ones are chopped carrots, pumpkin, and zucchini. And never forget to add finely chopped pickles, they make this dish so special (thanks to my mom and dad for the inspo, haha).
This easy lentil stew with mashed potatoes is:
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Healthy
- Protein-rich
- Grain-free
- Easy to make
- Perfect for lunch or dinner
- Flavorful
Should you recreate my easy lentil stew, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.
Easy lentil stew with mashed potatoes. This recipe is a great comfort food which is vegan, gluten-free and grain-free. You can add your favorite veggies and enjoy this dish for lunch or dinner.
- 1 cup dry lentils (190 g) (*see recipe notes)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp oil (for frying)
- 3 tbsp white wine (40 ml) (optional)
- 3 cups vegetable broth (720 ml)
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced (135 g) (*see recipe notes)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (wheat free if GF)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 tsp each of dried parsley, thyme and oregano (use more, if fresh)
- A splash of coconut milk canned (for extra creaminess)
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch (to thicken)
- black pepper and chili flakes to taste
- Chopped pickles to taste (optional)
- 4 medium-sized potatoes (600 g)
- 1/4 cup coconut milk canned (60 ml) (*see recipe notes)
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg (or more/less to taste)
- black pepper, sea salt to taste
- Rinse lentils under running water. I prefer to soak my lentils for about 15 minutes in lukewarm water but this step is optional (discard the water afterwards).
- Meanwhile, chop the onion, garlic, mushrooms (*see recipe notes). Heat oil in a skillet/frying pan, stir in the diced onion, the minced garlic and fry for 3 minutes over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms, dried parsley, thyme, oregano, white wine (optional), balsamic vinegar, soy sauce (or tamari/coconut aminos to taste) and fry for a further 3-5 minutes.
- Now add the lentils and 3 cups of vegetable broth and cook on low-medium heat (add more broth if needed) until the lentils are tender (about 20 minutes).
- In the meantime, peel and chop potatoes, transfer them to a pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes or until tender, drain. Transfer back to the pot, add coconut milk, nutmeg, black pepper and sea salt to taste and mash with a potato masher (don't use a food processor or blender).
- Once the lentils are tender, mix a generous splash of coconut milk and cornstarch in a small bowl and pour this mixture into the lentil stew. Cook for a further 1 minute or until the desired thickness is reached. Season again with soy sauce (if needed), black pepper, and chili flakes.
- Serve warm, garnish with chopped pickles and fresh herbs (optional).
- I typically use brown lentils which cook in about 20-25 minutes.
- If you don't like mushrooms, you can make this easy lentil stew with chopped carrots or pumpkin instead.
- You can use any other plant-based milk, however, I would recommend adding at least 1 tbsp of oil if you use e.g. almond milk, oat milk or rice milk since canned coconut milk is higher in fat.
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Hello and welcome! My name is Ela and I am happy to share my vegan & gluten-free recipes with you. 
Oh I love this recipe. Reminds of you the traditional German dish. Sending love to you.
Thank you, Annelina! I hope you will give it a try. 🙂
Lots of love,
Ela
I did this recipe for the 1st time it was so delicious
So glad you liked my recipe! 🙂
Where can i find the recipe for green peas… i cant find
Not sure which recipe you mean. This is an easy lentil stew. If you want to make it with peas, you can simply sub peas for lentils.
I made this recipe today( no oil ) my family and I loved it so much thank you so much we really enjoyed it and definitely will make it again 😘
Yay, that’s awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know, Mimi .)
Another amazing recipe. You make it easy and delicious to be and stay vegan. Thank you for taking the time to share with us.
Thanks so much for your sweet compliment, Em. 🙂
This lentil stew looks so good to me!😍
I love mashed potatoes and lentils! So I think I will definitely try the recipe!
Much love,
Bianca 😘❤️
That’s awesome, Bianca! I hope you will like my recipe. 🙂
Much love, Ela ❤️
This looks so scrumptious Ela 😍 I lovvvvve potatoes, and mushrooms! I never would have thought to add pickles! Very interesting 💜
Thank you, Jodi! Oh, you should definitely give it a try. Pickles and lentils are a great combo. 😍❤️
Just now making this. What kind of pickles?
I always add cornichons (mini cucumber pickles). 🙂
Pregnant and am making this for dinner tonight! Hope I can do it justice, it’s already making my mouth water. Thanks for sharing it!
I hope it turned out delicious, Hedy. 🙂
Delicious! I really enjoyed this meal. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kevin! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
So delicious and healthy Ela! I love the addition of white wine, that’s so interesting. Dee xx
Thanks so much, Dee. Yes, adding wine adds so much flavor which I love.
I hope you will give it a try. 🙂
Just finished stuffing myself with this awesome meal.. Although.i know I’ve had enough, I can’t stop and neither can my partner. Thankfully I almost tripled this recipe so there’s plenty of left overs for tomorrow’s lunch😋😋😃
Thank you Ela ☘🌼☘
That’s amazing! So happy it turned out yummy. 🙂
This recipe looks awesomely delicious!! I will probably have it will Mashed Cauliflower instead of the potatoes to cut down on the carbs, cannot wait to try this soon, thank you for sharing😉🙌💕
You are welcome, Kathy! I hope you will like my recipe. 🙂
I’m 5 months pregnant and craving decadent comfort food — so this is the perfect hearty yet healthy and guilt-free fix for me these days! Added zucchini, pumpkin and carrots as well. Delish! The only teensy thing I didn’t like was the nutmeg in the potatoes, but I’ve since made the recipe twice without the nutmeg and now it’s a fave.
Hey Caroline, I am glad you liked my recipe. Nutmeg in mashed potatoes is very common in Germany and most people absolutely adore it. But leaving it out is, of course, no problem at all. 🙂
Hi could this be made in a slow cooker as sometimes i am time restricted?
It looks amazing as all your recipes do
Hello Danijela, never made this dish in a slow cooker but I guess it should work. Please report back if you give it a try. 🙂
I will def thank you so much
Hi Ela,
I made this recipe last night, and it was absolutely delicious. I’ts definitely going to be a regular meal in our house from now on. Perfect!
Thanks for your feedback, Janice! I am happy it turned out delicious. 🙂
Tried it for lunch today and it was so so delicious ! Having the leftovers for dinner with rice 🙂 thanks so much !
Yay, that’s wonderful! Thank you 🙂
This was the the Best lentil dish! Thank you for this amazing recipe! Family and Children approved 😊
Yay, I am so happy you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a nice feedback. 🙂
Hello!
Would i be able to use the already made lentils they sell in the produce section?
Yes, I guess so. You will need to use way less broth though. 🙂
Can this be easily altered to incorporate canned lentils?
Hi, Alysha! Like already answered in the previous comment: “Yes, I guess so. You will need to use way less broth though. 🙂”
I am so excited to try this. I am going to make it tonight, but I think I am going to make mashed sweet potatoes and regular mashed potatoes, simply because ALL three of my kids do not like mashed potatoes! Hopefully the sweet potatoes will work well!
Yes, I tried it once and liked it! I prefer regular mashed potatoes though. 🙂
I made this for dinner last night – just added carrots and a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste. It could do with a little more flavour – I’ll try adding more chilli flakes next time. Otherwise, this was a lovely meal – easy to prepare and no leftovers as people went back for seconds.
I made these again today, but turned it into mini pot pies. I added shredded vegan cheese to the potatoes and put them on top of the pies. Worked beautifully.
So glad you liked my recipe, Chiara. 🙂
This recipe was fantastic. It’s the first I made from this site. I am not a vegan or vegetarian but I have been trying to decrease my consumption of meat and hope to one day become a vegetarian. Thank you for creating such a great recipe to add to my list of vegan recipes. I will be adding this recipe to my rotation of recipes. Also, I am not a big pickle person so I was hesitant about adding them but they worked well in this recipe.
Thank you, Jessica! I am very happy you liked my recipe. 🙂
Was very good. I added carrots and kale.
That’s great! Thanks for your feedback, Kim. 🙂
Is there any way you can throw this into a pressure cooker? I can saute the yummy veggies. I just found your recipes and WOW!!! I am ready for some flavor 🙂
Thank you, Chantel! Even though I never tried it, I think it should be fine to make it in a pressure cooker. 🙂
Hi. This looks yummy. I am still breastfeeding & my baby is allergic to coconut & wheat. I can figure out what to substitute for the coconut milk, but any suggestions for the soy sauce?
Hi Anna! You can simply use wheat-free soy sauce (that’s what I always use) or coconut aminos. 🙂
And any plant-based milk/cream will be fine.
This is a delicious recipe. Love the flavors in the stew. I added a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the mashed potatoes. Love the nutmeg in the mashed potatoes..
So glad you liked my recipe! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂