Portobello Mushroom Stew with Lentils

A great, stick-to-your-ribs kind of vegetarian stew. I've made variations of this for over 10 years and meat eaters love it as well as vegetarians. The portobello mushrooms make it savory and so much better than a typical lentil stew. Love your lentils!

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 389 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups diced portobello mushroom caps
• 1 ½ cups dry brown lentils
• 1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed and chopped
• 4 tablespoons dry sherry

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat; stir in mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Saute until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Step 2

Add vegetable broth and tomato paste; stir until well blended. Stir in lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add fresh basil and continue to simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, about 15 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3

Ladle into bowls and float 1 tablespoon sherry on top of each bowl.