Lentils With Dumplings (Printable)
Tender lentils in a savory broth topped with fluffy herb dumplings for a satisfying vegetarian main.
# What You'll Need:
→ Lentils & Base
01 - 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 bay leaf
07 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
08 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 - 4 cups vegetable broth
11 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 - Salt and pepper to taste
→ Dumplings
13 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
14 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
15 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (parsley, chives, or thyme)
17 - 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
18 - 1/2 cup milk
# Directions:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and fragrant.
02 - Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes, allowing the spices to release their aromas and the tomato paste to caramelize slightly.
03 - Stir in the rinsed lentils and bay leaf. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 25–30 minutes until the lentils are tender.
04 - Taste the lentil stew and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
05 - While the lentils simmer, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and dried herbs in a mixing bowl. Add the cubed cold butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir gently until a soft, sticky dough forms.
06 - Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of dumpling dough and drop them onto the surface of the simmering lentil stew, spacing them evenly apart.
07 - Cover the pot tightly and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time — the steam is essential for cooking the dumplings properly.
08 - Check that the dumplings are puffed and cooked through. Ladle the stew into bowls, ensuring each serving gets dumplings. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The dumplings steam right on top of the lentils, so you get a full meal from a single pot with zero fuss.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, making it one of those rare leftovers that taste even better than the first round.
- Lentils are cheap, filling, and packed with protein, which means this feeds a family of four without stretching the budget.
02 -
- Lifting the lid during the dumpling steaming step lets all the escaping steam out and your dumplings will collapse into gummy little rocks.
- Salt the broth at the end rather than the beginning, because early salting makes lentil skins tough and extends the cooking time significantly.
03 -
- Rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingertips rather than a fork gives you better control over the texture and keeps the butter colder.
- Let the lentil mixture come back to a gentle simmer before adding the dumpling dough so the steam starts working immediately.