Creamy Tomato, Red Lentil & Spinach Stew
Creamy Tomato, Red Lentil & Spinach Stew
This week’s recipe is one of those lovely, grounding meals that does exactly what you want healthy food to do.
I featured it this month in my Alkaline Life Club membership as part of our “Eating the Anti-Inflammatory Way” and it’s gone down a storm with my members.
It is warm, filling, easy to make, and it gives your body a lot to work with in one simple bowl.
And this is something I always want to come back to with the alkaline diet: it does not need to feel complicated, fussy, restrictive, or like you are constantly trying to be “good.”
Sometimes the most powerful meals are the simple ones you can make again and again.
This Creamy Tomato, Red Lentil & Spinach Stew is a perfect example.
You have the red lentils bringing fibre and plant-based protein, tomato bringing that rich, comforting base, spinach adding greens and minerals, and the coconut milk giving it that creamy, satisfying texture without needing dairy.
It is the sort of meal I love for busy weeks because it feels like comfort food, but it is also genuinely nourishing.
And if you are in that place where you just want to feel a bit more like yourself again, with steadier energy, better digestion, and less of that heavy, sluggish feeling, this is exactly the kind of meal I would start with.
Why I Love This Recipe
This stew is:
- Quick and simple to make
- Warming and satisfying
- Rich in fibre from the lentils
- Packed with greens from the spinach
- Dairy-free, gluten-free and plant-based
- Great for leftovers
- Perfect for batch cooking
It is also a really good example of what I call “supportive food.”
Not diet food.
Not restriction food.
Just proper food that gives the body more of what it needs and less of what tends to make you feel flat afterwards.
PrintCreamy Tomato, Red Lentil & Spinach Stew
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed well
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes or tomato passata
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 large handfuls fresh spinach
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Himalayan salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley or coriander, to serve
- Optional: 1 tbsp hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top
Instructions
Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to soften.
Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin and smoked paprika, and stir for another minute so the spices become fragrant.
Add the rinsed red lentils, chopped tomatoes or passata, and vegetable stock. Stir well, bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and the stew has thickened.
Stir through the coconut milk and spinach, then cook for another 2-3 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
Add the lemon juice, season with Himalayan salt and black pepper, and adjust the thickness with a little extra stock or water if needed.
Serve warm, topped with fresh herbs and a sprinkle of hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds if using.
Extra Tips
If you want to make it even more filling, serve it with quinoa, brown rice, or a simple side salad.
If you want more greens, add chopped kale or rocket right at the end with the spinach.
If you like a smoother texture, blend half of the stew and stir it back through. This makes it even creamier while still keeping some texture.
This also keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, so it is a great one to make ahead for lunch the next day.
Enjoy,
Ross
