Lentejas a la Española — Spanish Lentil Stew with Smoked Paprika

Other Fast With Oil Published June 13, 2026

Lentejas is the everyday stew of Spanish home kitchens — a deep, brick-red pot of brown lentils built on a sofrito of onion, garlic, and pepper, smoked through with pimentón and a bay leaf. It is the kind of food that gets better on the second day, the kind you eat standing at the stove before you have even sat down. Earthy, savory, and quietly substantial, it carries a working day on its own.

On oil days the sofrito is fried slowly in good olive oil, which is where most of the flavor lives. For strict no-oil days, sweat the vegetables in a splash of water and lean harder on the smoked paprika and a hit of sherry vinegar at the end to make up for the missing richness.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil (adaptable for strict days — see notes)
SERVINGS: 4
TIME: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

- 350g (about 1 3/4 cups) brown or pardina lentils, rinsed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (omit for strict days)
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 medium potato, cut into 2cm cubes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce)
- 1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika (pimentón picante), optional
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.2 litres (5 cups) vegetable broth or water
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and carrots with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 8-10 minutes until soft and sweet. (For strict days: sweat the vegetables in 1/4 cup water, adding more as needed.)

2. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the paste darkens. Pull the pot off the heat, stir in both paprikas so they bloom without burning, then return to the heat.

3. Add the lentils, potato, bay leaves, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.

4. Simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and the broth has thickened to a stew. Add a little more water if it tightens too much.

5. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the sherry vinegar, then taste and adjust salt and pepper. Let it rest 5 minutes before serving with crusty bread.

NOTES

- Pardina lentils hold their shape best; standard brown lentils work and break down a touch more, which is not a bad thing here.
- For strict no-oil days, finish with an extra teaspoon of sherry vinegar and a pinch more pimentón to keep it lively.
- For more protein, stir in a drained can of chickpeas in the last 10 minutes.
- A smoked dried pepper (ñora) simmered in the broth deepens the flavor considerably if you can find one.