If you’re a fan of lentils, you absolutely have to try this Ecuadorian Lentil Stew! Not only is it the perfect side for Authentic Carne Asada, but it also tastes amazing wrapped in Homemade Flour Tortillas or even served with a scoop of rice and a fried egg.
The lentils are flavored and simmered with chopped onion, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, tomatoes, and spices. The end result is an explosion of flavor. I did have one child say it looked like prison food, but just like people, you should never judge a book by its cover. I’m telling you, you have to give this Ecuadorian Lentil Stew a shot!
Other Recipes You Shouldn’t Judge by Their Looks
- Split Pea Soup
- Instant Pot Lentils with Chicken and Sweet Potato
- Beef and Peppers with Egg Noodles
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- The Best Cambodian Beef Lettuce Wraps
- Slow Cooker Hobo Dinner
Step-by-step pictures for making Ecuadorian lentil stew
Tips for Making Ecuadorian Lentil Stew
- Chop all the veggies you need before getting the saucepan heated.
- If you have kids that will freak out seeing chunks of onion, pepper, or tomato, you can put everything in the food processor. That will make everything really tiny and hard to recognize.
- This recipe takes about 30 minutes of cooking time that you’ll need to be stirring occasionally, so pick your favorite podcast or Netflix show and pull up a stool to the stove.
- The recipe calls for a bell pepper. I suggest using an orange or yellow one only because I like using all different colors, and you already have red from the tomatoes and green from the cilantro.
- Simmer until the lentils are very soft and the lentils have a stew-like consistency. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze them for later.
Pairs Perfectly With
Ecuadorian Lentil Stew
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Delicious, authentic Ecuadorian Lentil Stew makes a perfect side for Mexican dishes or can stand alone as a vegetarian burrito option. So yummy!
Author: Recipe From my Sister Merry
Recipe type: Ecuadorian
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 3 tomatoes, medium or large Roma, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced (I prefer orange or yellow)
- 6 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 tbsp chopped cilantro, divided
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2¼ cups lentils
- 7 cups water
Instructions
- Heat the canola oil on high in a large saucepan. Add the onion, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, 2 tbsp of the cilantro, cumin, salt, and turmeric.
- Cook and stir until the onions and peppers are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils and water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover partially and cook until lentils are tender, stirring every minute or two.
- When lentils are tender, stir in the remaining 2 tbsp of cilantro and remove from the heat.
- Serve with Ecuadorian Yellow Rice, Authentic Carne Asada, and Homemade Flour Tortillas for the ultimate experience. Enjoy!
More High Fiber Dinner Ideas
Need to try this one
Octobergiveaway
So so good, you will love it!
Ecuadorian definitely don’t eat this with tortillas lol
Very yummy. I sautéed all the veggies and spices with no oil since I follow WFPB cooking, the veggies had enough water in them to sautéed without burning. I used fresh parsley instead of cilantro which I dislike and ended up adding to veggie bouillon cubes. I will make this again for sure. Thanks.
Yum! So glad you liked it, this is one of my favorites!