It’s been a while since I’ve made a comfy, stay-at-home-and-put-your-feet-up kind of stew. That’s exactly what this is for.

It’s just a simple, no-fuss recipe, where everything on the ingredient list should already be in your pantry. This is really a clearing-the-fridge type of dinner, meant to get rid of all those unsavoury veggies sitting at the back of the pantry.

It’s the kind of dinner you make when you’re exhausted after work. Anything can go in here: potatoes, mushrooms, parsley even. If you’re feeling a bit sneaky then you could even add a glass of red wine to the pot (I won’t tell) or a cup of Guinness beer to really jazz it up.

Hearty Irish-Style Vegetable Stew 

Ingredients

• 1 and ½ yellow onion, sliced thinly
• ½ red onion, sliced thinly
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 medium carrots, chopped roughly
• 100g tomato paste (about 4 tbsp)
• 750ml vegetable stock (3 cups)
• ¾ cup dry brown/red lentils
• ¾ cup split green peas
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried rosemary
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Method

1. Heat some oil in the bottom of a large cast iron pot. Fry the onions until soft and are just starting to caramelise, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 3 minutes, or until darkened considerably, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn’t burn. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the lentils and split green peas. Stir to combine everything, the tomato paste should have dissolved in the stock and the lentils and peas should be completely submerged. Add the oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary and cayenne pepper. Season again with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat and allowing to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add another cup of stock or water if the stew gets too thick and is at risk of burning.
3. Once the pulses have cooked, taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Give the pot a good stir before serving. This is best served on top of some steaming mashed potatoes or rice. Enjoy!