Tomato Lentil Stew With Crispy Potato

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated January 28, 2026

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
1 hr
Rating
5(1,174)
Comments
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This hearty one-pot stew makes the most out of kitchen staples thanks to some smart cooking strategies. Carrot, celery and onion are familiar vegetables for creating an aromatic base, but here, cutting them slightly larger gives them a more prominent presence and flavor in the stew. Thinly sliced potatoes are arranged on top, creating a protective covering that allows the lentils to become extra tender. Dill introduces a herbal perfume, but there’s room to substitute with whatever herbs you have on hand; parsley, cilantro or mint would each work well here. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

  • 1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced 

  • 2 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced 

  • 1 medium carrot, scrubbed, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 

  • Salt and pepper 

  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 

  • 2 cups vegetable stock

  • 1 ½ cups green lentils

  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • 2 small russet potatoes (about 12 ounces), scrubbed 

  • 5 ½ (lightly packed) cups chopped kale leaves (4 ounces, from about 1 small bunch)

  • ½ cup chopped dill, plus more for serving 

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

    1. Step 1

      Heat a medium Dutch oven or other ovenproof braising pot on medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, celery and carrot; season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until softened and starting to caramelize, 5 to 6 minutes. 

    2. Step 2

      Add crushed tomatoes, stock, lentils, garlic, sugar and crushed red pepper; season well with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. 

    3. Step 3

      Meanwhile, thinly slice the potatoes, toss with olive oil until lightly coated and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. 

    4. Step 4

      Uncover the lentils and stir. Stir in the kale and dill, allowing the kale to wilt. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. 

    5. Step 5

      Arrange the sliced potatoes in a slightly overlapping, circular pattern over the lentils until completely covered. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

    6. Step 6

      Bake until the potatoes are tender and golden around the edges, about 25 minutes.

    7. Step 7

      Scatter with more dill and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,174 user ratings
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Comments

Cork

hello chefs of the new york times website. last night, on christmas eve, i made this dish, paying utmost attention to the recipe, meticulously, if you will. what i have to say may shock you: maybe the under the lid cooking part should be more like 25 minutes because the lentils were hard at the eotd (end of the day). maybe there should be less lentils, like a cup, per chance. maybe there should be more liquid, per chance a whole box o' stock. maybe there only needs to be one potato. delicious!

BJ

I cook lentils often. They should be cooked before the tomatoes are added and could be soaked first (and water discarded) before cooking to shorten the cooking time.

Naysayer61

@TN I almost always substitute spinach for kale, with no adverse effects other than a lighter texture. And I usually just toss in the whole bag (6oz)

Pia

Any type of lentils will benefit from a soak first Red lentils needs the least - max 15 mts and they will cook super fast and get squishy. Red lentils from The east are much firmer and less starchy than the ones from Canada Green lentils could do with about 20-30 mt soak

Sari

If following recipe meticulously, there isn’t enough liquid to cook the lentils nor enough time to cook them properly. To avoid eating semi-cooked lentils I think you need to pre-cook the lentils with plenty of water.

Drevik W.

If you follow the recipe as written, the lentils will be pretty crunchy still. They need at least double the cooking time, and also benefit from presoaking. In other words, the overall cook time, including both stovetop and oven steps, should be 55-60 minutes. There's no way to shortcut that unless you precook the lentils or do this in a pressure cooker. Other than that, this is delicious! I used arugula and spinach in addition to kale.

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