Vegetable Medley Stew
Now that summer is on the way, I’m thinking about gardening and veggies and mounds of fresh produce. It’s still a little bit chilly out, though, so I’m also still enjoying warm dishes hot off the stove.
In keeping with the winter-to-spring transition, this Vegetable Medley Stew is a cross-seasonal dish — it’s warm and hearty like a winter stew, but is chock-full of veggies and could easily be lightened into a peak-of-summer soup by adding more broth and fewer grains. Likewise, you could season the stew/soup with whatever fresh herbs you have on hand rather than using dried sage (although the sage imparts a subtle lemony tang). And with the addition of grains and lentils, the stew is both fragrant and satisfying…and will be for several days, because the flavors will deepen as the soup sits in the fridge. Just add more broth when reheating if the veggies and grains have absorbed too much liquid for your taste.
Vegetable Medley Stew
Serves at least 4 as a main course.
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
32 oz. vegetable stock (or chicken or beef, preferably from pastured animals)
15 oz. diced tomatoes
1 zucchini (or yellow squash), chopped
1/2 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup steel-cut oats (choose gluten-free oats if you want this to be a gluten-free dish)
1 tsp. dried sage
Sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper to taste
1 cup curly spinach, coarsely chopped
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, sautée onion and carrot in a pat of ghee or butter for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it and bring those caramelized flavors into the liquid. Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, lentil, oats, and sage. Simmer for 30 minutes or until oats and lentils are tender. If it looks like the stew is getting too thick for your taste and you’d prefer a lighter soup, add another cup or two of stock (or water).
Season stew with salt and pepper to taste, then quickly stir in spinach. Take pot off heat and let sit for 3 minutes to soften the spinach. (The stew will still be hot enough to “cook” it.)
Serve hot, garnishing each bowl with a spoonful of a creamy cheese such as fresh mozzarella or soft goat cheese if you’d like.
Enjoy!
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Tags: gluten-free, lentils, oats, sage, stew, vegetable medley
Yum, I am going to try this. Won’t my wife be surprised that I actually cooked something for dinner for once!
Sounds yummy – except for one thing. I’m allergic to tomatoes. Any substitution suggestions?
Red peppers make a nice sub for tomatoes, particularly when the peppers are roasted. In this case, since you’re slowly simmering everything for a good half hour, I would just sautée a chopped red pepper with the onions and garlic and let it merge into the rest of the soup. Good luck!