ONE-POT CREAMY SPINACH LENTILS

By blum099

394 calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter, oil, or (wait for it) bacon grease
• half a yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups uncooked lentils, rinsed
• 2 medium Yukon potatoes, chopped (about 1 cup total)
• 4 cups chicken broth (plan to add a few more cups as needed while cooking)
• 1 bay leaf
• a few sprigs fresh parsley
• a few springs fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 3-4 cups packed fresh baby spinach
• salt and pepper to taste (be generous with the salt!)
• olive oil and red wine vinegar for topping

Details

Adapted from pinchofyum.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the bacon grease (that's what I used) over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Saute for 10 minutes until the vegetables are nice and roasty and fragrant. Add the wine slowly - it should give a little sizzle and get all the browned bits off the bottom.
Add the lentils, potatoes, and broth. Tie the bay leaf, parsley, and thyme together and toss in the pot (the reason for tying is so you can easily remove them at the end - I actually wrapped mine up in a stalk of celery so it would be contained a bit better). Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more broth as necessary so the lentils are just barely covered in liquid. When the lentils and potatoes are soft, gently mash the potatoes against the side of the pot with the back of the wooden spoon to make the mixture creamy.
Remove the tied herbs; add the half and half and spinach. Stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper (season, taste, adjust, repeat). Serve each serving with a drizzle of good olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar, per Jamie Oliver's (and my) recommendation.
NOTES
The cooking length for the lentils (and the amount of liquid you need) will partially depend on how old your lentils are. Mine have been around for a while... so they took about 6-7 cups of broth over about 45 minutes of cooking time. Just play it by ear and do what feels right if it looks like it needs more liquid and more time.