Green Lentils with Mushrooms, Spinach and Crème Fraîche

Green lentils hold their shape as they cook, giving this dish a gentle bite alongside browned mushrooms and soft spinach. Crème fraîche brings a little tang, while grated hard cheese adds savoury depth and draws everything together.

Let the mushrooms lose their moisture and take on some colour before adding the spinach; that small bit of patience makes a useful difference. Serve with mashed potato for a comforting supper, or enjoy it on its own when washing another saucepan feels unnecessarily ambitious.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Cuisine: Europe

Courses: Mains

Difficulty: Beginner

Servings: 4

Calories: 305

Best Season: All year

Dietary: Vegetarian

Description

Tender green lentils with browned mushrooms and wilted spinach in a lightly creamy sauce, finished with vegetarian hard cheese.

Ingredients

160 g dried green lentils (rinsed)
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1 onion (150 g prepared, finely sliced)
250 g large flat mushrooms (cut into 1 cm slices)
1 clove garlic (3 g prepared, sliced)
0.5 tsp salt
120 g baby spinach
100 ml vegetable stock (100 g prepared stock, approximately 100 ml)
4 tbsp crème fraîche (60 ml, about 4 tbsp, 30% fat)
40 g vegetarian hard cheese (vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated; estimated using vegetarian pecorino)
black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1
Cover the lentils generously with cold water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, or until tender; add water if needed. Drain well.
2
While the lentils cook, heat the oil in a wide pan. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the edges begin to colour.
3
Add the spinach, cover for a minute, then stir until wilted. Fold in the drained lentils and pour in the stock.
4
Stir in the crème fraîche and cheese over a gentle heat. Simmer briefly until hot and finish with black pepper.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories 304.57kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13.609g21%
Saturated Fat 5.954298g30%
Sodium 588.23875mg25%
Total Carbohydrate 32.2217g11%
Dietary Fiber 6.04575g25%
Sugars 4.5145g
Protein 15.57595g32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

Serve with mashed potato, rice or pasta if desired; these are separate accompaniments. Lentil cooking time varies, so tenderness is the deciding check. Allergens: milk; check the stock ingredients.

Nutrition is an estimate per serving, based on the stated weights. Optional garnishes, accompaniments and extra seasoning are excluded. Brands and preparation can change the figures. Includes 60 ml 30% fat crème fraîche and 40 g vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese. Separate accompaniments are excluded.