Roasted Garlic and Vegetable Stew with Red Lentils and Savory Tomatoes

This hearty, super nutritious and flavorful stew is so satisfying. Its depth of flavors are found from roasting the vegetables and the garlic at a high heat which creates sweet undertones. Add red lentils to thicken (and add a major punch of protein and fiber), and the tomatoes and splash of balsamic vinegar compliment the flavor party with some acidity.  Enjoy with a thick slice of your favorite bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar

If you’re like me and always feel short on time and don’t want to babysit something on the stove for hours, this is a great recipe for you. The vegetables are roasted so they hang out with only one toss during baking. I really love the simplicity of red lentils. They cook so quickly compared to most other legumes, and they don’t need to be soaked. All you need is 15 minutes to cook them! So the stew base cooks quickly and then it’s a matter of blending up half of the roasted veggies with some stock and pouring it back into the pot with the remaining roasted veggies. Add in some kale and you’re done!

Roasted Garlic and Vegetable Stew with Red Lentils and Savory Tomatoes

This hearty and incredibly flavorful dish is so satisfying. It's depth of flavors are found from roasting the vegetables and the garlic at a high heat which lends sweet undertones, red lentils to thicken (and add a major punch of protein and fiber!), and the tomatoes and splash of balsamic vinegar compliment the flavor party with some acidity.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Crumbs & Caramel

Ingredients

For the Roasted Vegetables:

• 4 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 medium cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 red bell peppers, seeds/stem removed, chopped
• 1 head garlic

For the Stew Base:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup red lentils
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 cups kale, de-veined and torn into bite size pieces
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

For the Roasted Vegetables:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Place the roasting vegetables on the tray (except the garlic), drizzle with olive oil and toss well with a large spoon or your hands ensuring that all the veggies are evenly coated. Slice the pointed end of the garlic bulb off exposing the garlic cloves. Drizzle with 1 tsp of oil. Wrap tightly with foil and place on the baking tray with the vegetables. Bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes or so and checking the garlic at 25 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn or dry out.

For the Stew Base:

• In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 3 or 4 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the oregano, basil, thyme, canned tomatoes, vegetable broth and red lentils. Turn the heat up to high until the stew comes to a boil, lower the heat, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the lentils are cooked, stirring occasionally to prevent lentils from sticking to the pot.
• Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins into a high-powered blender. Add tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, about 1/2 of the roasted vegetables, and ladle in about 2 cups of the soup. Blend on high until smooth. Pour this mixture back into the soup pot with the other half of the roasted vegetables. Over medium heat, stir the kale into the soup and cook about a minute until it's just wilted and bright green.

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