Lentejas a la Colombiana (Colombian Lentil Stew with Rice)

Name: Lentejas a la Colombiana (Colombian Lentil Stew with Rice)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 1 piece yellow onion; 2 clove garlic; 2 piece roma tomatoes; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 0.25 tsp salt; 1.25 cup dried brown or green lentils; 2 piece potato; 1 piece carrot; 6 cup water; 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 1 piece bay leaf; 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 1 cup long-grain white rice; 2 cup water; 0.25 tsp salt; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp fresh cilantro; 1 piece lime

A frugal, satisfying Colombian-style lentil stew built on a simple hogao (tomato‑onion sofrito). Hearty, cheap pantry ingredients feed four and store well for reheating.

AI image

1 hr

start to finish

15 min

hands on

Easy

difficulty

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

For the hogao (sofrito)

1 piece yellow onionmedium, finely chopped
2 clove garlicminced
2 piece roma tomatoesor 1 cup (240 ml) canned crushed tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp saltfor the sofrito

For the rice

1 cup long-grain white riceabout 200 g; rinsed until water runs clear
2 cup water
¼ tsp salt

Roughly, per serving

580 kcal20g protein92g carbs11g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Rinse the lentils under cold water and pick out any stones or debris.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent.
Stir every minute so the onion doesn't brown; a soft onion is the base of the hogao.
Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds, then add the chopped tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes break down into a thick sauce.
Stir in the diced carrot and potato and cook for 2 minutes to coat with the sofrito.
Add the rinsed lentils, 6 cups water (or broth), cumin, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low, cover partly, and simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender and the stew has thickened—check and stir now and then.
If the stew becomes too thick before the lentils are tender, add a little more hot water; if too thin, simmer uncovered for a few minutes.
While the stew simmers, start the rice: bring 2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small pot.
Add the rinsed rice, a splash of oil, stir once, cover, reduce heat to low and cook until the water is absorbed.
Turn off the rice, keep covered and let rest so the grains finish steaming.
Remove the bay leaf from the stew, taste and adjust salt and pepper; if you like more brightness, squeeze in a little lime juice.
Serve the lentil stew over a scoop of rice, garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Worth knowing

Make it stretch: add an extra diced potato or a handful of frozen spinach to bulk the stew without much cost.
If you have a smoky or cured meat (chorizo or bacon), you can sauté a small amount with the onion at the start for extra flavor—this version is vegan as written.
Leftovers keep 3–4 days in the fridge and the flavors deepen overnight; reheat gently with a splash of water.
For faster cooking, use a pressure cooker and cut simmer time to about 10–12 minutes at pressure.

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.

VeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeBudgetMeal prepHigh protein

More Colombian cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Colombian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegan and vegetarian and gluten-free and dairy-free as listed.