Lentil Barley Stew

Submitted by MsBindy

"My husband's favorite. The cinnamon gives this stew a different twist. It will thicken as it sits, so I make it a little soupy to begin with and serve with some crusty bread to soak up the juices."

Download

photo by justcallmetoni

Ready In:: 1hr 15mins
Ingredients:: 13
Serves:: 6

ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, coarsely chopped
2 cups carrots, diced or sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth
28 ounces plum tomatoes, chopped with their juices
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick (about 3 inches long)
¹⁄₂ cup pearl barley, rinsed
¹⁄₂ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

directions

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat.
Add the onions and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the cumin and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes with juices, brown sugar and cinnamon stick.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes, partially covered.
Add the barley, cover partially, and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!

Reviews

Wow! Very good stew. I changed it bit, from vegetarian to a meat stew. Browned the beef and used beef stock instead, but as is this would still be a 5 star rating. Like another reviewer here, I did have to simmer this closer to 2 hours to soften the lentils. Love the cumin/brown sugar/cinnamon twist. I make many different lentil soups, but this is now one of our top 3. :)

HesterX
Just made this in the pressure cooker, took only 15 minutes to cook! Tried a mouthful and it was too hot, but gooooooood. Waiting impatiently for this to cool, and might top it with some grated cheese. Everything tastes better with cheese!

mikala
My husband really enjoyed this, especially because of the cinnamon! Mahalo!

Lavagal
This was very tasty indeed, but it took way longer than 45 min. for the lentils to cook properly (more like 1 hr. 15 min) and I had to keep on adding broth to keep it from burning. I left out the cinnamon and parsley.

chef 305256
I decided to try this in the slowcooker,it came out very tasty-I prepared steps 1-4 and then transfered it all+the rest of ingredients to the "cooker" in the evening&stuck in fridge,started to cook on low the next morning as I left for work and in the evening it ready.Husband & I liked it, kids didn't :( Thanks

becki in Israel