The Protein-Packed Vegan Stew Our Wellness Editor Makes at Least Once a Week

I was perusing TikTok for dinner ideas one day (all roads lead to TikTok—I’ve learned to embrace it) and came across a few Indian-inspired chickpea and red lentil stews that looked simply delicious.

There’s nothing like a hearty bowl of stew when the weather outside is frightful.

But I’m weird about recipes, in that it’s difficult for me to follow one exactly as it’s written. I don’t mean that in an “added an extra clove of garlic and more salt, you’re so bad, Carol” kinda way.

It’s more like “forgot to get a couple ingredients” or “can’t decide which to try so combine different elements from each and hope it works.” This method has not failed me yet (well, at least not in the past two months since I entered my cooking era).

So the recipe below is an amalgamation of several different recipes, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Plus, even my carnivorous husband loves it and requests it once a week.

It can also be made with mostly pantry items, so it’s perfect for those nights where you have no idea what to make. I’ve made it both on the stove and in a slow cooker, and it tastes amazing either way. Got extra veggies you want to use? Throw those in there too.

It’s packed with protein, thanks to the chickpeas, lentils, and, surprisingly, nutritional yeast. I was flabbergasted to find that just two teaspoons of nooch (as it’s also known) contains three grams of protein.

Like, what? That adds up quickly. Plus, nooch gives recipes a savory, umami flavor that really works here.

Hungry yet? I know what I’m having for dinner. Here’s the recipe, with notes for modifications if you want to make it in a slow cooker.

Protein-Packed Lentil Chickpea Stew

Recipe Type:Dinner

Dietary Info:Vegan

Serving Size:No idea, depends on how hungry my husband is

Prep Time:10 min

Cook Time:30 min

Total Time:40 min

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced or microplaned (I love garlic so I usually add a lot more than that)
1-2 tablespoons Spicewalla curry powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup red split lentils
2 cans chickpeas
3 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
Salt to taste
Squeeze of lemon or lime juice
Splash of soy or tamari sauce

Stovetop Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add onions, and saute until slightly caramelized.
3. Add garlic, and saute for about two minutes. Keep a close eye on it, stir it frequently, and don’t let it burn.
4. Add the spices, and saute until fragrant.
5. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, lentils (don’t forget to rinse them first), and chickpeas. Stir to combine, so everything is coated in the tomato paste and spices.
6. Add the veggie stock and nutritional yeast and bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat.
7. Simmer for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more stock/water as needed.
8. Taste to make sure the lentils are done, and add additional seasoning as necessary.
9. Serve in bowls, and stir in a squeeze of lemon or lime and a splash of soy/tamari sauce. You can also serve it over quinoa for even more protein or some rice. Enjoy!

Modifications for slow cooker:

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add onions, and saute until slightly caramelized.
3. Add garlic and spices, and saute until fragrant.
4. Throw all that into the slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients, and stir it up. (You could also add the onion-garlic-spice mixture directly to the slow cooker without sauteing them, but cooking them first adds more depth to the flavor.
5. Cook on low for about six hours or on high for four hours.
6. Serve as suggested above.

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