Leshta (Bulgarian Vegan Lentil Stew)

Today I brought YOU Leshta , a Bulgarian lentil stew. This lentil stew is a healthy comfort dish, nutritious, very fulfilling, naturally vegan and gluten free friendly too!

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I have multiple recipes of lentils on the blog. Whether it’s from the Arabic cuisine   like this yogurt soup with lentils or  from other cuisines, like this Panchartani daal (Pakistani dish) It’s one of the beans that I truly love in any form!

So once I was navigating stories on Instagram, and so one of my friends  Albeena (she is Bulgarian) posted this dish on her stories. My friend is a great woman, very talented and artistic and a runner! She is a very positive, and cheerful person. It’s a pleasure to have her for a cup of coffee, or for a run. I met her last summer and we had lots of runs together. everyday Of course I asked her about it right away, she was very generous , explained everything to me, and sent me her recipe.

That was last fall in 2021. But I live in in Dubai,  where there is no such a thing as fall 🙁 so I’ve waited until winter. It’s still looks like a spring here, but it’s little bit colder. I hoped for a gloomy day to feel the winter vibes to make this stew, but we hardly got these days. But I finally made it, and regretted how much I’ve waited!

Leshta, lentil stew

Leshta, is a Bulgarian lentil stew, contains lentils, fresh chopped vegetables and a special herb called summer savory. And as my friend said, beef or chicken broths are good choices to cook the stew but will change the authentic taste here. and she told me to use whatever I feel like, and suggested to use water, and I just did.

Summer savory

A plant that is a herb, used for food for flavor. It is native to southeastern Europe, and used a lot in Bulgarian cuisine. It has a sweet aroma, and delicate mild taste.  With an earthy like thyme, but much lighter. Unfortunately I don’t have a real photo of summer savory . There is no fresh ones here in Dubai, but I found it in dried form mixed with other herbs called province (region in France), which has thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and summer savory.

Why this lentil strew is healthy :

This soup has earthy taste, aromatic and very fluffing. It has great amount of fiber, proteins, and good carbs, and low in fat.

• Tomato which contains vitamin C and lycopene too,  low calorie food, and low in fat too. Also, tomato has it has potassium, calcium , manganese, and iron.
• Carrot are nutritious, having more than RDA (recommend daily allowance) of vitamin A, and has other vitamins too. This study shows that carrots protect from prostate cancer  but we need more studies to confirm this result
• Potato high in potassium, and vitamin C. Also has good amounts of folate, iron, and fiber.
• Lentils They are very fulfilling beans, very nutritious ones. High in protein, and fiber. And have good amounts of minerals like Iron, zinc, and manganese. Moreover, it has B Vitmains like Folate. The carbohydrates here are complex,  but with medium glycemic index value

(In the photo is wild rocket not summer savory)

This lentils stew is naturally vegan & gluten free, easy to use and everything, this recipe is a keeper! It’s perfect for cold nights, for dinner, or even for lunch! You can pair it with toasted bread or have it as it is. It’s very easy to make. You put it everything in one pot! I added flour at the end for thickening, it is an optional step. You can reduce the amount of water from the beginning, or you can add gluten free flour for thickening. Potato starch is a great option, or cornstarch which is a cheap access option.

If you made this leshta dish , I would love to see your creation, please tag me @Nutrizonia on Instagram and Facebook too, and use the hashtag #Nutrizonia

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Summer savory dried herb 

Enjoy!

Yield: 4

Lestaga ( bulgarin lentil stew ) Vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup of brown lentil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 to 10 cloves of garlic, cut or whole
• 2 grated fresh tomatoes
• 1 medium carrot chopped
• 2 small potatoes chopped
• 2 Tb sweet paprika
• 1 Tb summer savory
• 1 Tb flour for thickening
• 2 Tb oil, I used olive oil, vegetable oil also is fine
• Water around 2 cups, it depends also on the size of the vegetables you chopped and lentils too
• Optional: 1-2 medium hot peppers 🌶️, you can roast them first and serve them aside too
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Wash the lentils well and drain them.
2. In a pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat, Sautee the onions till transparent.
3. lower the heat and add garlic, carrots, tomatoes and mix. Add the lentils ,all the spices and cover with water.
4. After 10 min add the peeled small potatoes and the hot peppers (if using it) and leave for 40 mins and up to 1 hour ( depends on the size of lentils are using and the chopped vegetables) while checking the water level.
5. Mix the flour with some cold water and add slowly to the hot stew while mixing to not form limbs.
6. Let it boil for 5 more minutes.
7. Serve with toasted slice of bread
8. store any leftovers in air tight container n the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for longer period.

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• Summer savory dried herb

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g