Guiso de Lentejas (Argentine Lentil Stew)

Name: Guiso de Lentejas (Argentine Lentil Stew)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients: 300 g dried brown or green lentils; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 piece onion; 2 clove garlic; 2 piece carrot; 2 piece potato; 400 g canned crushed tomatoes; 1200 ml water; 1 piece bay leaf; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 1.5 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp fresh parsley; 150 g chorizo or panceta; 50 g short pasta (fideos or broken spaghetti)

A humble, one-pot Argentine-style lentil stew — filling, cheap, and perfect for feeding four. Hearty vegetables, a touch of smoked paprika and lemon brighten the earthy lentils.

1 hr

start to finish

15 min

hands on

Easy

difficulty

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

Optional additions

150 g chorizo or pancetasliced; brown with the onion if using(optional)
50 g short pasta (fideos or broken spaghetti)add during the last 8–10 minutes if you want a heartier stew(optional)

Roughly, per serving

430 kcal22g protein68g carbs8g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Rinse the lentils under cold water and pick out any stones or debris.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
If using chorizo or panceta, add it now and brown for 3–4 minutes so it releases its fat and flavor.
Leave the rendered fat in the pot for more flavor; skip this step for a vegetarian stew.
Add the diced carrots and potatoes and cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes to lightly soften.
Stir in the smoked paprika and ground cumin and cook for 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
Add the rinsed lentils, crushed tomatoes, water, bay leaf, salt and black pepper and bring the pot to a boil.
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pot partially, and simmer until the lentils and potatoes are tender.
If using short pasta, add it 8–10 minutes before the end of the simmer and add a little extra water if the stew looks thick.
Remove and discard the bay leaf, taste and adjust seasoning, then stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Ladle the guiso into bowls and serve hot.

Worth knowing

This stew keeps and flavors improve overnight—cool, refrigerate, and reheat gently for easy meal-prep.
Swap water for inexpensive vegetable broth or the water leftover from boiling vegetables to boost flavor without adding cost.
If you prefer a creamier texture, mash a cup of the cooked lentils against the pot before adding lemon and parsley.
To keep the dish vegetarian, skip the optional chorizo/panceta and use oil only.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

VegetarianBudgetMeal prepOne pan

More Argentine cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Argentine cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegetarian as listed.