Awhile back, I posed an important question on Instagram: what kind of recipes would you like to see more of? I got a lot of different responses, but some of the most common replies were:
- Gluten-free recipes
- Plant-forward dishes
- Savory comfort food
And today’s recipe for a Creamy Mushroom and Black Beluga Lentil Stew is all of those things! It’s vegan and gluten-free, heavy on plants, and definitely qualifies as delicious savory comfort food.
Why you’ll love this recipe
This stew boasts a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and protein from the lentils, mushrooms, garlic, and kale. And then gets hit with a flavorful mixture of tahini, miso paste, tamari, and coconut milk.
The resulting taste is electric and unique, packed with strong notes of umami and a rich, creamy mouthfeel. It’s the kind of comfort food you can feel good about eating without a single ounce of guilt.
Ingredient Rundown
Now that I’ve obviously sold you on this dish, let’s talk about the ingredients, shall we?
The heart of this dish are mushrooms and black beluga lentils. I use a combination of cremini mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms to balance out taste and cost. Shiitake mushrooms bring a bold, savory flavor, but since they are quite pricy, I only use a small portion and rely on inexpensive cremini mushrooms for the bulk of the stew.
And for the lentils, I absolutely adore black beluga lentils, which are tiny black lentils that look almost like caviar once cooked (hence the name beluga). They have a delicate yet full-bodied taste, absorb other flavors really well, and pair particularly well with meaty vegetables (hi, mushrooms).
I love using black beluga lentils because the lentils stay firm-ish in this stew, so it feels heartier and adds some textural differences (instead of having a one-note, soft, mushy stew). And second, the lentils take on the flavors of the remaining ingredients, including the earthy, umami-packed flavors of the mushrooms, miso, and tahini. And bonus: black lentils, like dark-colored fruits (i.e., blackberries and blueberries) contains anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant that prevents cellular damage caused by free-radicals. #antioxidants
Substitute: black beluga lentils are sold in most grocery stores (or online), but if you can’t find them, use French green lentils (also called Puy lentils). They’re similar in size and texture and also hold their shape well when cooked.
If you’re looking for more flavor-forward lentil recipes, you gotta try my Lentil Salad with Fresh Herbs! And if it’s the big umami flavors you’re after, my Creamy Umami Noodle Soup with Crispy Mushrooms is out of this world.
Tips for cooking this recipe
To cook the lentils, the easiest method is to pressure cook them in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker. Just pop the lentils in the pot with the vegetable broth or water and flavoring ingredients and pressure cook for 6 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, I’ve also included stovetop instructions below.
While the lentils are cooking, you can work on the other part of the stew, which is quite easy once you’ve prepared all your ingredients. If I can be a bit of a food snob for a minute, I recommend using a high-quality tahini and balsamic vinegar. If your tahini is chunky or bitter, the stew is not going to taste as great as it could. And for the balsamic vinegar, if all you have is a cheap $2 vinegar, you’re better off adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice instead.
Serving suggestions
This Creamy Mushroom and Black Beluga Lentil Stew is hearty enough to serve on its own, but if you want to spread it across more mouths (or more days), serve it over a bed of your favorite grain (my choice would be millet or quinoa). Or, it’s great with a side of rustic, freshly baked bread (duh).
If you try this recipe out, be sure to leave me a comment below and tag me with your creation on Instagram!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Creamy Mushroom and Black Beluga Lentil Stew
Ingredients
Lentils
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 spring of fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup (200g) black beluga lentils (can substitute French green lentils)
- 1 3/4 cups (420mL) low-sodium vegetable broth or water (2 cups / 480mL) if cooking lentils on stovetop)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon for stovetop method)
- 8 whole black peppercorns
Mushroom Stew
- 2 tablespoons (28g) olive oil (you can use less if you’re using a nonstick pan)
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces (~450g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 ounces (~110g) shiitake mushrooms (caps only), sliced
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup (60mL) dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1 ½ tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
- 3 tablespoons good-quality tahini
- 1 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
- 2 cups (480mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup (120mL) “lite” coconut milk or unsweetened oat milk, cashew milk, or soy milk
- 1 head of Tuscan lacinato kale, tough midribs removed and leaves sliced
- 1-2 teaspoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Lentils
- Use kitchen twine to tie the bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary (this makes it easier to fish them out of the cooked lentils). If you don't have twine, leave herbs whole.
- Cook the lentils – Instant Pot method: Add the lentils, herb bundle, 1 3/4 cups (420 mL) broth or water, 1/2 tsp salt, and peppercorns to the inner pot. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure for a cook time of 6 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release. Drain the lentils and set aside.
- Cook the lentils – stovetop method: Bring the 2 cups (480 mL) broth or water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the lentils, herb bundle, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black peppercorns. Simmer the lentils for 20-25 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the lentils and set aside.
Mushroom Stew
- While the lentils cook, prepare the ingredients for the mushroom stew (chop the vegetables, measure out the ingredients, etc.).
- Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently.While the onion cooks, in a glass, combine the miso, tahini, and tamari. Whisk well to dissolve the miso as best you can.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and let them sit undisturbed for 3 minutes. Stir, then season generously with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, thyme leaves, and red pepper flakes, and stir frequently until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pour in the white wine and allow to bubble for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping up any browned bits as needed, or until the smell of alcohol cooks off. Add the miso-tahini mixture and stir well into the mushrooms to coat them. Add the cooked & drained lentils, 2 cups (480 mL) vegetable broth, and the lite coconut milk. Stir well, and bring to a boil.
- Once it's boiling, turn off the heat. Carefully pour half of the stew into a stand blender. Blend until the mixture is completely pureed and smooth, and then pour the mixture back into the pot and stir to combine. Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the pot to partially blend the stew.
- Once the stew has been partially blended, add in the sliced kale. Bring the stew to a boil until it is thick and creamy and the kale has wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasonings and adjust to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
This is the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe I found online. It’s that good! Make this recipe! I used full fat coconut milk. The second time I made it, I didn’t have coconut milk and used condensed milk. Turned out just as good.
Hi there! You are too sweet! Thanks for taking the time to comment on your first online recipe 🙂 Great to hear it worked with both substitutions. So happy you loved it!
Hi Nisha! I made this soup for the second time in a month last night and it is the BOMB! My entire family loves it so much. The depth of umami flavors is amazing. Will be making again and again. Thank you for this keeper!
Twice in a month – hooray! That’s the best! I am so happy the whole family loves it. I too am obsessed with all the umami going on it this dish. Thank you for the feedback, Rasika!
This was wonderful. Thanks for introducing our family to a regular rotation meal. I used a shortcut and substituted the lentils with the precooked lentils you can buy at Trader Joe’s. I hope you don’t disapprove but it turned this recipe into a very quick meal to prepare and it was still tasty. The only other sub was that I did not have white wine so I just used a bit more veggie stock. I have your instant pot book and the recipes seem intimidating but this one was so yummy and straightforward I look forward to diving into the book.
Hi Amy, thank you for sharing your feedback! So happy it worked just as well with precooked lentils (I definitely don’t disapprove, i love those lentils)! I hope you will enjoy cooking from my book as well 🙂
A mushroom-lovers bomb-diggity!
Hehe thank you Susan! I am glad to hear it was great!
We made this for dinner tonight, Nisha. It was delicious! We adapted it to use what we had on hand. We used oyster instead of shiitake mushrooms, we used chickpea miso and skipped the wine deglazing. Luckily we had a nice balsamic vinegar to add at the end. We would love to make it again! I would give this recipe a 5-star rating if I could 🙂
Hi Emily! I am so happy to hear that you loved it and would give it a five star rating 🙂 I love oyster mushrooms – I bet it was extra delicious with them and a nice balsamic vinegar at the end is always a treat. I need to figure out how to add a rating option o Squarespace – they don’t make it very easy to figure this stuff out haha.
We just made this for dinner tonight and absolutely Loved every bite. Thank you for sharing this with us.
So nice to hear that, Wendy! Thank you for sharing 🙂 I have this on my meal prep menu for the coming weekend – once thanksgiving leftovers are done, of course 🙂
Nisha, hi!! I made this for dinner last night and WOW. It was delicious and dreamy and warm and comforting. The flavors blend so well together! I used French green lentils instead of black, used a squeeze of fresh lemon instead of balsamic vinegar and did not blend the mixture in the end because we really like the hearty texture of the lentils. It turned out wonderful!! Definitely adding this to our weeknight rotation. Bravo!! ~Rasika
Hi Rasika,
Thank you so much for leaving a wonderful review. That’s exactly how I would describe the meal as well – comforting, delicious, and well balanced in flavors! Glad you were able to find substitutes that worked well.
I made this recipe with quite a few adaptations (you’ve gotta work with whatever you can find, right?) : green lentils instead of black, red miso instead of white, spinach instead of kale and oyster mushrooms instead of shiitake, and I think it all worked quite well. I’ll definitely make it again !
I love that you were able to adapt this to the ingredients you had on hand 🙂 So happy you’ll be making it again. I want to try it with oyster mushrooms now!
Any recommendations on deglazing the pan without white wine? We are alcohol free in our household, but would love to make this!
Hi Maya! I’m glad you’re going to make it 🙂 Vegetable broth would be a great substitute. Hope you enjoy it!
We made this for dinner tonight and wow, what a great recipe! Creamy, hearty, flavorful, and everything else you would want in a winter dish. Definitely a keeper!
Hey Marion, Thank you so much for letting me know. I am glad you think those things – I definitely would describe this dish the same way 🙂