5-ingredient vegan bean and lentil Stew (Inspired from Haşlanmış Kuru Fasulye)

You’re probably wondering what Haşlanmış Kuru Fasulye means. Well, it’s Turkish for Pre-cooked Dried Beans and it is one of the most delicious Turkish dishes my mum makes for me and my siblings. I love beans, all kinds of beans (I’m not fussy), so when I get the chance to eat or recreate a dish made mostly of beans, I know I will love it. This recipe has nothing on mum’s Turkish bean stew though (she uses black-eyed beans and adds lemon) – hers is out of this world! I wish you could try it… 

This dish is high in protein, high in fibre and low in carbs, which makes it a great evening meal for little kids who struggle to get to sleep because of the energy a carb meal (like pasta or rice) provides just before bedtime. However, you can enjoy this Bean and Lentil Stew with rice or pasta, if you’re looking for something with a little more sustenance. It has a very rich tomato sauce, and the seasoning makes it a lovely light soup/stew. So, I don’t think you’d need much else in this dish, although potatoes would go nicely here.

Fancy more recipes with beans? Try my Black Eye Bean Burgers!

Here are the ingredients:

And this is what you get.

When I say this is a super easy dish to make, I mean, you literally fry some onions and garlic, add the tomatoes and the puree, then add the lentils, the water, the seasoning and then the beans. That’s it! Cheap, easy, quick and nutrient dense. I’m not quite sure you need much else really. It is also versatile enough for you to add any kind of bean or legume that you want. You can also beef it up with some potatoes and you’ve got yourself a lovely stew, but the Turkish version will generally include some sort of red meat to brown first before you add in all the ingredients. As I’m following a plant-based lifestyle, however, I would prefer to add more beans and legumes to make up the protein count. Plus, I don’t really miss meat in this recipe anyway. In the next recipe, I’ll definitely add some zing from the lemon and probably include potatoes. 

So… let’s try this bad boy out now.

5-ingredient vegan bean and lentil Stew (Inspired from Haşlanmış Kuru Fasulye)

Recipe by Five for a FiverCuisine: Turkish

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

This 5-ingredient vegan bean and lentil stew is high in protein and fibre, which makes it a great meal for kids who need a slow energy release before bed.

Ingredients

• 1 cup green lentils, washed

• 1 tin, 400g red kidney beans (240g drained)

• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped finely

• 1 onion, chopped finely

• 2 cups of water (Add 1 cup for the lentils and 1 cup for the rest of the veg)

• Seasoning

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely

• 1 tsp veg powder/veg stock

• ½ tsp turmeric

• ½ tsp fresh black pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• Pinch sugar (caramelising the onions when sauteing)

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

Directions

• Grab a pot. You do not need a big pot.
• Set the heat to medium heat and add all the oil
• Sauté the onions and garlic for two minutes with the pinch of sugar because we want to caramelise them a little
• When they are soft, add the tomato puree until the onions are translucent
• Add the tomatoes, juices and all, waste nothing – it will smell super delicious at this point! YUM!
• Go in with the green lentils and mix well – the lentils will plump up the mixture and expand the dish
• Add the rest of the seasoning to the water in a separate bowl and mix well. Then add to the pot.
• Bring to the boil and then turn it right down and cover and simmer for around 15 – 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Don’t add the beans until the last 10 minutes. Simmer until the beans are cooked.

Notes

• You can add any kind of carb dish to this recipe.
• You can serve this dish with brown rice or whole-wheat couscous.

When you fancy making this dish, tag me on @fiveforafiver via Facebook/Twitter (@Fiveforafiver1 via Instagram), using the hashtags #FiverFoodies and/or #FiveforaFiver, and let me know which beans/legumes you used for this dish. 

Here is a list of the ingredients I found from Tesco for £2.64 total (prices may vary from 04 May 2018):

Tesco Green Lentils in Water, 390g – 55p

ASDA Grower’s Selection Red Onions, 3 – 65p

Napolina Red Kidney Beans, 400g – 85p

Tesco Salad Tomatoes, 6 – 59p

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