Easy Trader Joe's recipe: Lentil Stew

I’ve never written a recipe before, so please be forgiving as I share these instructions. I make this lentil stew dish about once per week and it takes no time at all. I have served it to all three sets of grandparents and they all (claimed to) like it. Plus, I started giving it to my daughter when she was about 10 months old and she loved it. It’s packed with nutrition, so while eating a tomato soup-based lentil stew with one’s chubby little fingers is disgusting and messy, I can’t complain.

All of my ingredients are from Trader Joe’s. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s, you might have to cook your own lentils in which case, 90% of the convenience of this recipe is gone. But, for you Trader Joe’s shoppers, here are the details for my favorite Easy Lentil Stew:

Ingredients:

+ Half a box of Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
+ One package of pre-cooked steamed lentils (found in the refrigerated section near the pre-cut veggies)
+ 1 tsp cumin
+ sweet potato chunks (optional)

Excuse the appearance of the sweet potato. I guess I only washed half of it.

If you are adding sweet potato, dice about 3/4 cupful and place in a microwavable container such as a pyrex measuring cup. Cover with water and microwave for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. (I leave the skin on but I am kinda crunchy that way.)

Empty contents of lentil package into a medium-sized pot. Shake container of soup and pour over lentils until covered. Heat with medium fire, stirring occasionally.

Add cumin. Add sweet potato (or don’t). Cook until heated all the way through.

Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan and some seeded crackers.

This simple lentil stew stores easily in the fridge and is a great way to entertain a friend for lunch or to feed yourself a dinner more nutritious than cereal for two nights when your partner is out of town.

Kid-friendly? You tell me. I have one who will eat a man-sized portion and another who wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.

I make this lentil stew dish about once per week and it takes no time at all. I have served it to all three sets of grandparents and they all (claimed to) like it. Plus, I started giving it to my daughter when she was about 10 months old and she loved it. It’s packed with nutrition, so while eating a tomato soup-based lentil stew with one’s chubby little fingers is disgusting and messy, I can’t complain. Here are the details for my favorite Easy Lentil Stew.

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.