Tomato Lentil Stew with Spinach

Make this Tomato Lentil Stew with Spinach and keep it in the fridge. It gets better as it sits and works for any meal! Add the spinach fresh when you heat it up, to keep it from overcooking.

Tomato Lentil Stew with Spinach
2 cups dry Flourist French Lentils
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pint fresh cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 jar Tomato Passata
1.5 jars water from Passata
Baby spinach as desired (roughly a handful per serving)

Soak the lentils for 4-12 hours by combining them with 8 cups of cold water in a large bowl. Leave on the countertop to soak until you are ready to cook.

When ready to cook, drain the lentils and rinse. Set aside. In a large pot or Dutch Oven, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring for 5-7 minutes on medium high heat. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Add the dry spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring the whole time to prevent burning.

Add the lentils, cherry tomatoes, Passata, and water and stir well. Cover the pot and bring the lentils to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium and cook, with the lid slightly ajar for 40 minutes. Add water as required.

If serving right away, add 4-5 handfuls of fresh baby spinach and stir. Allow to wilt for 4-5 minutes. Serve hot with yoghurt or sour cream and fresh bread.

If making ahead, it's a great idea to add the fresh spinach when you re-heat to avoid overcooking the fresh greens. Simply add a cup of the cooked Stewed Lentils to a pot along with a handful of spinach. Heat for 5 minutes or so and watch the spinach cook down. It's ready to eat when the spinach is wilty but still bright green.

We love Tomato Passata, which is strained tomatoes, for using in a lot of recipes. The jar size is convenient for most recipes and there are no cans to open or tomatoes to crush.

Makes almost 2 qts - about 7 cups.