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    Home » Recipes » Soup & Stew

    Armenian Lentil Stew with Eggplant

    April 16, 2018 • Updated: February 9, 2023 • by Renée B. • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Armenian Lentil Stew with Eggplant & Golden Raisins [Recipe] | The Good Hearted Woman

    Armenian Lentil Stew is a thick, rich medley of eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onions, golden raisins, and lentils, all flavored with a savory-sweet blend of traditional herbs and spices. Naturally gluten-free, it can be served as it is, or over a bowl of rice or bulgar.

    Cooked Armenian Lentil Stew in a large cast iron Dutch oven.
    Jump to:
    • The True Story Behind this Recipe
    • Armenian Lentil Stew Ingredients
    • How to Make this Stew
    • Armenian-Inspired Recipes
    • What to Serve with Lentil Stew
    • Armenian Lentil Stew

    The True Story Behind this Recipe

    Some years ago, my daughter married a young Armenian named Vahe. When I first met Vahe, I could barely locate Armenia on a map; moreover, I knew virtually nothing about its rich culture and even less about the tumultuous history of its proud and faithful people. All I knew was this earnest, poetic young man loved my daughter, which is all I really needed to know back then.

    Happy couple on their wedding day.

    And I knew he could cook, because whenever he visited us, that is what he did – COOK! Using nearly every pan in my kitchen, he would make us a bountiful feast of Armenian-inspired fare.

    He made us everything from delicious garlicky green beans with eggs to delectable eggplant rolls stuffed with carrots and walnuts to amazing fire-roasted shish kabobs. (Like many Armenians, Vahe is a master of fire and skewer.)

    Over the years, I’ve developed a great appreciation and genuine respect for my son-in-law and the hard-fought struggle he has endured to become an American citizen. I’ve gained a heartful of amazing Armenian-American grandchildren and a wonderful extended family. I’ve read books and articles on Armenian history (of which I was taught virtually nothing about in school), and I've learned some about traditional Armenian cooking as well. 

    The Rich History of Armenian Cooking

    With a recorded history of about 3500 years, the small, landlocked country of Armenia has a cuisine as old as the nation itself, where it occupies a unique place in Asiatic cuisine. Relying on a rich medley of diverse tastes and fragrances, Armenian cooking often employs savory flavors like lemon, garlic, onion, paprika, and sumac, and warm spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves.

    When I saw Armenian Lentil Stew on a restaurant menu awhile back, I knew that I had to give it a go. In the end, I don’t know how traditional this recipe is; in fact, my culinary instincts are telling me that, even with my exhaustive research, it may be a bit Americanize. All I know is, it’s delicious. 

    When it comes to ethnic recipes, I'm usually a stickler for authenticity, but under the circumstances, I think this recipe is a perfect metaphor. My son-in-law - who coaches his daughters' soccer teams and reads Kant (in Russian) to his three-year old son, who would move heaven and earth for my daughter, and who stood in 2016 in a Utah courthouse and pledged his allegiance to the United States of America... well, he's a little Americanize now, too.

    Armenian Lentil Stew Ingredients

    Armenian lentil stew ingredients are clean and simple.

    Photo of individual ingredients, measured and prepped, that go into this recipe
    • Lentils: Use red or brown lentils, or a combination of both.
    • Eggplant: Peel and dice the eggplant into ½-inch cubes.
    • Diced tomatoes: We usually use canned tomatoes with onion and garlic for this recipe.
    • Dried fruit: Use golden raisins or chopped dried apricots, or a combination of both.
    • Chicken broth: Use half-strength homemade chicken stock, or full-strength canned or boxed broth.
    • Onions: Use yellow or white onions.
    • Sweet peppers: We prefer using red or orange peppers; however, you can use whatever sweet peppers you have on hand.
    • Garlic: Use fresh garlic, or 1 to 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.
    • Mint: Use dried mint or fresh. We usually make this in seasons when fresh mint is dormant. Conveniently, dried mint works well in this recipe.
    • Spices: Cinnamon, allspice, and cumin all have a shelf-life. Be sure your spices are fresh and full-flavored.
    • Lemon zest: Use fresh lemon zest. Fresh orange zest also works.
    • Salt: We use kosher salt for this recipe.
    • Oil: Use any neutral cooking oil (i.e., canola, light olive oil, etc.)

    See recipe card for quantities.

    How to Make this Stew

    Like most stews, Armenian Lentil Stew is always better the next day when the flavors have had a chance to play together. 

    Rinse lentils and place them in a large saucepan. Add the chicken broth and golden raisins (or chopped dried apricots) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

    Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pan over medium heat until it begins to glisten, and then add chopped onions. Sauté onions until translucent; about 8-10 minutes.

    Add eggplant, tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic to the chopped onions.

    Stew ingredients in a large cast iron Dutch oven.

    Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

    After 10 minutes, remove the lid and add the lentil mixture, along with the brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, dried mint, and lemon zest to onion mixture.

    Stew ingredients, including spices and herbs, in a large cast iron Dutch oven.

    Simmer until lentils are tender; about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

    If stew becomes too thick while cooking, add additional broth or water.

    Cooked Armenian Lentil Stew in a large cast iron Dutch oven.

    Serving Suggestions

    Garnish with fresh mint or cilantro and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Serve as is, or over cooked bulgar* or basmati rice.

    This lentil stew gets better with age as the flavors blend and marry, making it great as leftovers! We love to make a big batch and have it for lunch for the rest of the week.

    *Bulgur is the instant rice of wheat. It's made from cracked whole grain wheat berries that are partially cooked and then dried. Since it is precooked, it can be rehydrated in just 10 minutes, making it a faster option on a busy day than wheat berries, regular cracked wheat, or rice.

    Vegetarian & Vegan Options

    You can easily make this stew vegan by simply replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth!

    Stew in a small bowl, with a spoon engraved with "Lentils" sticking out the middle.

    If you like this recipe, be sure to check out our recipes for Apricot Chicken Tagine with Ginger & Mint and Bavarian Lentil Soup.

    Armenian-Inspired Recipes

    Our Armenian-inspired recipes include a delicious carrot and eggplant salad, a simple asparagus pilaf, and lemony stuffed grape leaves. Be sure to check our DIY about naturally dyed Easter eggs, too!

    • salad made of grated carrots, edamame, and other ingredients on a white plate, garnished with cilantro.
    • Naturally dyed Armenian (or Russian, Greek, Serbian) Easter Eggs | The Good Hearted Woman
    • Close-up of rolled, stuffed grape leaves lined up a long serving platter. Garnished with lemon slices and fresh herbs.

    What to Serve with Lentil Stew

    Armenian Lentil Stew is hearty and filling all by itself, and most often we just serve it over rice, or with simple slice of homemade bread on the side. However, when we need a more substantial meal, a few of the dishes we enjoy with it include grilled sandwiches and fresh salads.

    Cooked Armenian Lentil Stew in a large cast iron Dutch oven.
    5 from 8 votes

    Armenian Lentil Stew

    Armenian Lentil Stew is a thick, rich medley of eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onions, golden raisins, and lentils, all flavored with a savory-sweet blend of traditional herbs and spices. Naturally vegan and gluten-free, it is wonderful alone, or served over a bowl of rice or bulgar.
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Main Dish, Soup
    Cuisine: Armenian, Comfort Food
    Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time:30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time:30 minutes minutes
    Total Time:1 hour hour
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 174kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 10-inch Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
    • 1 Wooden Spoon

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    Stew
    • 1 cup dried red or brown lentils or combination
    • 6 cups chicken stock or canned broth
    • ½ cup golden raisins or chopped dried apricots
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 medium onion diced
    • 1 pound eggplant peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
    • 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes undrained
    • 1 whole bell pepper red, green or yellow, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons hot paprika or regular paprika
    • 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt or to taste
    • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
    • 2 teaspoons crushed dried mint leaves
    • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
    Garnish (Optional)
    • fresh mint or cilantro chopped
    • sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

    Instructions

    • Rinse lentils and place in large saucepan.
      Add broth and golden raisins (or chopped dried apricots) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
      Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
    • Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pan over medium heat until it begins to glisten, and then add chopped onions.
      Sauté onions until translucent; about 8-10 minutes.  
    • Add eggplant, tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic to onions.
      Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. 
    • Add lentil mixture and remaining stew ingredients to onion mixture in Dutch oven.
      Simmer until lentils are tender; about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. 
      If stew becomes too thick while cooking, add additional broth or water.
    • Garnish with fresh mint or cilantro and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
      Serve as is, or over cooked bulgar or basmati rice. 

    Notes

    Like most stews, this is always better the next day when the flavors have had a chance to play together. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 543mg | Potassium: 576mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 488IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

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    About Renée B.

    Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.

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    1. Andrew Terry says

      April 24, 2020 at 8:29 pm

      In the ingredients list you specify raisins, but in the instructions you specify apricots - which is it please? I wonder why no-one else has noticed this!

      Also, as a Brit, I'm curious as to why Americans always seem to review receipes BEFORE they've actually cooked them! A frequent comment is: "I can't wait to try this"! Why don't they cook it FIRST, and then let us know what they think? That would be far more useful, surely?

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        April 25, 2020 at 1:04 pm

        Thank you for calling this to my attention, Andrew. The reason no one else has noticed this error is because it wasn't an error until recently, when I made a few changes to both the ingredient list and directions. Apparently, I accidentally omitted some things when I made the update to include the dried apricots as an option. (I made this stew with them recently and loved the results.) I believe the directions have been corrected now. I also updated the recipe with metric measurements today.

        Reply
    2. Jenna says

      April 19, 2018 at 10:34 am

      5 stars
      What a beautiful tribute to your son in law! He sounds like a great guy for your daughter and a wonderful father to your grandkids. I know very little about Armenian culture and food but I know I want to try this stew!

      Reply
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