Dinner recipe · one pot · plant-based

Mediterranean lentil & vegetable stew

Name: Mediterranean Lentil & Vegetable Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean-style
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1 medium carrot, diced; 1 red pepper, diced; 1 small courgette, diced; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes; 1 x 400 g tin green or brown lentils, drained and rinsed; 300 ml reduced-salt vegetable stock; 100 g baby spinach; 1/2 lemon; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A warming one-pot stew with lentils, tomatoes, red pepper, courgette, spinach, lemon and herbs. It is a practical plant-based dinner that fits the site's wider Mediterranean-style MASLD meal-planning approach — not a treatment for fatty liver.

10 minprep30 mincook4servingsOne potmethod

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A bowl of thick lentil and vegetable stew seasoned with herbs. — A photographic serving suggestion of a thick lentil and vegetable stew.

Why this combination

A plant-forward dinner built from ordinary staples

Current European MASLD guidance recommends improving overall diet quality toward a Mediterranean-style pattern. That pattern commonly includes vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, olive oil, fish and other minimally processed foods, while limiting sugar-sweetened drinks and heavily processed foods rich in sugars and saturated fat.

Lentils make legumes the centre of this dinner, while tomatoes, pepper, courgette and spinach add a mixture of vegetables. Olive oil provides the cooking fat and lemon brightens the finished stew without needing a heavy sauce. NHS recipe guidance also treats lentils and vegetables as practical everyday ingredients for soups and stews.

Keep the claim in proportion. A lentil stew can fit an evidence-led eating pattern, but no single recipe, ingredient or pulse can diagnose, cure or reverse MASLD. Your overall eating pattern and your own clinical circumstances matter more than one meal.

The complete recipe

Mediterranean lentil & vegetable stew

Tinned lentils keep this weeknight-friendly: the vegetables cook in a tomato base, then the lentils and spinach finish the pot.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 small courgette, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
1 × 400 g tin green or brown lentils, drained and rinsed
300 ml reduced-salt vegetable stock
100 g baby spinach
½ lemon
To taste freshly ground black pepper

Method

1
Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until they begin to soften.
2
Add the red pepper and courgette and cook for another 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and smoked paprika for about 30 seconds.
3
Add the chopped tomatoes, drained lentils and vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, partially cover and cook for 15–18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the stew has thickened slightly.
4
Stir in the spinach until wilted. Squeeze in the lemon juice, season with black pepper and serve. Add a splash of hot water if you prefer a looser stew.

Using dried lentils instead? Their cooking time and liquid needs vary by type, so follow the pack instructions and cook them fully before judging the final texture. This tested page method is written for drained tinned lentils.

Three easy variations

Keep the lentil base; change the direction

This recipe is designed to be flexible enough for ordinary cupboards without becoming a completely different dish every time.

Herby tomato

Add thyme and parsley, keep the smoked paprika light, and finish with extra lemon.

Warm spice

Add cumin and a pinch of chilli alongside the paprika for a warmer, earthier version.

Extra greens

Use both spinach and kale, or stir in frozen peas near the end for an easy extra vegetable.

Use it in a real week

One pot can cover dinner and another meal

This makes four servings, so it can work for a family dinner or create planned leftovers. Use the Meal Planner to place it in a week, or Recipe Finder when you want another plant-forward dinner.

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Sources & evidence

What informed this recipe page

EASL–EASD–EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on MASLD — overall diet-quality and Mediterranean-pattern guidance, including legumes and vegetables.
NHS Healthier Families: vegetable and lentil soup — practical UK context for lentils and vegetables in an everyday soup/stew-style meal.
Mayo Clinic: Fatty liver disease (MASLD) diet — current Mediterranean-style food-pattern guidance.

Recipe quantities and method on this page are original to Fatty Liver Meal Planner; the sources inform the broader dietary context, not the exact recipe formulation. Reviewed 18 August 2026.