Lentil fish stew

 
 

Prep Time: 5 min // Cook Time: 30 min// Total: 35 min // Serving: 7 cups

Do you have a busy life? Do you feel pressed for time when it comes to making dinners? Do you want to make a healthy meal that is delicious but won’t take hours to make? If so, this recipe is your friend - It is heart-healthy, easy, and uses common easy to find ingredients. Best of all, you can make it in 35 minutes! This recipe follows the Mediterranean healthy eating principals: plant-based (red lentils), lean meat (fish), healthy fat (olive oil) and colorful fruits and vegetables (bell peppers and tomatoes. The trick for making it under 35 minutes is to prepare all the ingredients while cooking the red lentils. After the lentils are cooked, just quickly cook the fish since fish cooks fast. This dish provides a lot of texture and flavor in your month: the small chunks of broken lentils, flaky fish, and the spiciness of the red pepper flakes. This recipe is also very forgiving. You can modify it in any way you like to bring pleasure to your taste buds. You can use or add different vegetables, different types of fish or seafoods, and different spices and/or herbs. Although this dish is thin liquid based, you will still feel satisfied and without feeling overly full and stuffed. Pair it with rice, quinoa, pasta or a slice of warm crusty bread to make a complete meal. This dish will surely become one of your household favorite meals.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dry red lentils, rinse and clean

  • 3 ½ cups chicken broth

  • 2 large yellow bell peppers, slice into strips

  • 2 large tomatoes, dice into large pieces

  • 3 teaspoons chopped garlic (~2 large cloves), divided

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon dried basil, divided

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder, divided

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1 Lb white fish such as cod, cut in pieces

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (~ ½ medium lemon)

Instructions:

  1. Rinse the lentils thoroughly until the water is clear

  2. Cook the lentils in a pot with chicken broth: bring the broth to a boil then simmer the lentils on low heat for 20 minutes

  3. While the lentils are simmering, slice and chop the yellow bell pepper, tomatoes and fish.

  4. In a non-stick frying pan, heat up the olive oil on medium

  5. Add the yellow bell pepper strips, tomatoes into the non-stick frying pan

  6. Saute the bell pepper strips with the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt until the bell peppers become semi soft

  7. Use a masher to mash the lentils into small pieces when the lentils are done cooking

  8. Add ½ teaspoon basil, ½ teaspoon onion powder and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic into the mashed lentil liquid

  9. Use a whisk to break the lentil pieces further into pieces as much as possible

  10. Thicken the lentil liquid by bring the lentil liquid to boil (Note: the lentil liquid will not become smooth) 

  11. Add the sautéed tomatoes and bell peppers to the lentil liquid and add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the mixture

  12. Add the fish pieces and cook with a cover for 5 minutes

  13. Add the lemon juice before serving

  14. Serve with cooked rice or quinoa