Lent cooking: French braised lentil ragout (plus a cheat version)

Aimee Boudreaux MacIver
Mar 19
2 min read

My favorite French dishes are the simple, earthy ones—there's a comfort and sense of nourishment that escargot and tartare just don't offer. This lentil dish is the only way I've ever enjoyed lentils (coming from a red beans girl) and it's a great meatless, protein-packed meal for Lent.

French braised lentils

Serves about 8

Olive oil to cover the bottom of your pot in a thin layer (I use a Dutch oven)
2 cloves of minced garlic (I use the equivalent of pre-minced garlic from a jar)
1 large onion, finely diced
2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced (I usually use the equivalent in baby carrots)
3 TBS tomato paste
3-4 bay leaves (if they're fresh, give them a quick scrunch to release the flavor)
1 TBS Herbes de Provence
1 pound dry French lentils (about 2.5 cups)
7 cups vegetable stock
1 c orange juice
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Optional: we also shake on Tony's or Tabasco to taste... but we do that to everything here

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Sauté garlic, carrot, and onion until soft.
Stir in the tomato paste, bay leaf, and Herbes de Provence for a few minutes until well blended.
Add lentils, orange juice, stock, salt, and pepper, stir until simmering, then lower heat and simmer without a lid until the lentils are soft (15-20 minutes; check and taste throughout cooking).

Add more salt, pepper, Tony's, or Tabasco if you need to.

P.S. This dish is also excellent with a runny egg on top, as a scoop over greens, topped with soft white cheese, or after Lent with spicy sausage.

P.P.S. There's also a "cheat" version of this dish: Using the eyeball system of measurement, coat your Dutch oven or pot with olive oil and soften a ton of chopped onions, celery, and carrots along with a generous shake of herbs, garlic, and salt to taste. When it's soft, add a few cans of lentils and as much bone broth as you like to achieve the desired thickness. Sometimes I also shake in some dill and a few drops of orange extract. Simmer it all for a bit while you answer emails or do a few other household tasks. Serve with crusty bread, a green salad, or a dollop of sour cream—whatever sounds good.