Vegan Mushroom Lentil Stew

Vegan Mushroom Lentil Stew is an incredibly easy and wholesome one-pot meal, guaranteed to be loved by the whole family. Perfect as a meatless Monday meal if you’re giving plant-based eating a go, or on rotation if you’re looking for some new vegan meal ideas for your repertoire!

This vegetarian lentil stew is packed with protein-rich lentils, hearty mushrooms, and an array of healthy veggies. It has a slightly sweet and smoky flavor, and is seasoned with oregano, fresh thyme and bay leaves.

Great on its own or served with a side, this mushroom and lentil stew is perfect for this cooler weather. Feed a family, or use this recipe as a make-ahead meal and freeze it for the future.

• Yields: 4 servings
• Prep Time: 1 hour

Ingredients for this Vegan Mushroom Stew Recipe

Although the list may look long, you’ll see the ingredients for this easy lentil stew are very simple. There’s nothing expensive or hard to find, and you may well realise you’ve already got all the ingredients on hand!

• 4 cups sliced white mushrooms
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 yellow onions (diced)
• 2 cups tomato puree/passata
• 2 carrots (chopped)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• ½  tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 cups chopped yellow potato (3 small potatoes)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano

How to Make Lentil and Mushroom Stew

Add carrots and olive oil to a large pot and saute until slightly golden (a few minutes).

Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

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Add mushrooms and cook until tender.

Add dry lentils, potatoes, tomato puree, smoked paprika, oregano, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, vegetable broth, and salt & pepper.

Simmer covered, over medium heat for 40-45 minutes or until the potatoes and lentils are tender.

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Serve warm with bread, rice, mashed potato or quinoa.

What to Serve with this Lentil Potato Stew

This vegan mushroom stew is delicious as is but you could also bulk up the meal by serving it with a side of mashed sweet potatoes, regular mashed potatoes, rice, quinoa, or some fresh bread to soak up any remaining stew in your bowl!

How to Store any Leftover Potato and Lentil Stew

This vegan lentil stew will store well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days when placed in an airtight container, once completely cool.

You also have the option of freezing this vegan mushroom lentil stew for up to 3 months, either in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag. When ready to serve, first thaw your frozen stew in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat slowly on the stovetop till heated throughout. 

If your lentil mushroom stew has thickened while in storage, simply add in some extra broth while reheating in a pot till the desired consistency is achieved. 

Can I make this Recipe for Mushroom Stew in an Instant Pot?

Absolutely! Making this mushroom lentil stew in an Instant Pot will reduce the cooking time to around 35 minutes which is only a 10-minute saving compared to the stovetop although the Instant Pot does add the convenience of not having to keep as watchful of an eye when compared to the stovetop cooking method for this dish. 

How to make lentil and mushroom stew in your Instant Pot:

1. Set your Instant Pot to saute and add the oil to warm for a few minutes before adding in the carrots which should cook for 5 minutes till softened.
2. Add in the onion and garlic and continue to cook till the onions are translucent and the garlic gives off that fragrant aroma (about 5 minutes).
3. Add in the mushrooms to cook until reduced in size, followed by the tomato puree/passata. 
4. Next, add in the remaining ingredients including the liquid, turn your Instant Pot off and seal the lid. Set the Instant Pot to manual on HIGH for about 16 minutes, followed by a natural release of 10-15 minutes. After 15 minutes, allow for a quick release of any steam in the Instant Pot before removing the lid in preparation to serve this dish. 

Tips for Making this Vegan Lentil Mushroom Stew Recipe

• One of the reasons I love this vegan lentil stew recipe so much is thanks to its versatility! You can easily add in additional favorite vegetables or swap out the veggies I’ve used for those you prefer. Lovely options for this stew include green beans, peas and even red bell pepper. 
• The mushrooms in this lentil stew provide a rich, hearty meat-like flavor and delicious texture.  While I’ve used white mushrooms for this stew, feel free to you what is readily available to you or what you might enjoy the most.
• I’ve used vegetable broth for the liquid in this stew. Some recipes use a combination of water (about 3.5 cups) and white wine (½ cup). The white wine will definitely increase the flavor profile of this stew and any alcohol will be cooked off so feel free to experiment with a little addition of wine if you like. 

Other Hearty Vegan Meal Ideas to try:

• Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
• Vegan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew
• Tuscan White Bean Skillet
• Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
• Vegan Mixed Bean Chili

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