Spicy Roasted Garlic & Lentil Stew

We spent Labor Day weekend down in Louisville visiting some old friends and came back with fresh herbs, shallots, and other late summer produce from their impressive backyard garden. The cooler temperatures lately have me thinking of fall, and this old favorite recipe came to mind. Coincidentally, the first time I posted a version of this recipe on my old food blog was right after the only other time I visited Kentucky 13 years ago!

I’ve slightly updated this recipe over the years, but it is a pretty forgiving stew that doesn’t need to be too carefully measured. It is really worth roasting the carrots, garlic, and shallots instead of cooking them in the pot though, because this step adds a great depth of flavor that pairs beautifully with the spicy, smokiness. And don’t skip the bit of cinnamon — It balances out this comforting dish.

Spicy Roasted Garlic & Lentil Stew
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb carrots, peeled
5 Tbl olive oil
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, quartered
1 C celery, chopped
1 Tbl fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of cinnamon
1 C french green lentils
4 1/2 C vegetable stock

Method

Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange the carrots on a baking sheet, coat with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and season with salt and black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes or until they start to get some color.

Turn the carrots, add the shallot and garlic, and (if needed) a bit more olive oil. Roast about 10 more minutes. Allow the carrots to cool and chop into half inch pieces. 

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stockpot. Add the carrots, shallots, garlic, celery, thyme, bay leaf, cayenne, red pepper flakes, paprika, and cinnamon. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add the lentils and the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more stock if needed. Season to taste.