Vegan Winter Lentil Stew

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 carrots
• 4 stalks celery
• 2 lbs potatoes
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup frozen peas

Directions

1. Chop the onion into dice and finely mince the garlic. Pour the olive oil into a large soup pot, add the onion and garlic, and start cooking them over medium heat.
2. While that first layer softens, dice the celery and add it to the pot. Continue sautéing, then peel the carrots and cut them into half rounds. Stir the carrots into the pot and keep cooking.
3. As the vegetables cook, peel the potatoes and cut them into 3/4 to 1-inch cubes. Add the potatoes to the pot, then stir in the lentils, rosemary, thyme, Dijon, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vegetable broth.
4. Stir everything just enough to bring it together, cover the pot, raise the heat to high, and bring the stew to a boil. When it boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring now and then.
5. Near the end of the simmer, once the potatoes are very tender, press some of them against the pot as you stir. That little bit of mashing will naturally thicken the stew.
6. After 30 minutes, add the frozen peas and stir until they are heated through. Taste and add salt only if it needs it, depending on how salty your broth is. Serve hot and enjoy.