Lentil and Orzo Stew With Roasted Eggplant Recipe (2024)

This is a wonderful dish; however, the photo accompanying the recipe doesn't seem to reflect the instructions; the eggplant looks more like slices than chopped 1" pieces; the carrots don't look finely chopped; and the stew looks more soupy and too red for 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.

I made a few modifications - I put in a can of low sodium white northern beans, which I think I will now use to replace the orzo. I also put in a few slices of leftover turkey polska kielbasa. Do NOT skip the eggplant - it was an amazing addition - I treated the slices like a baguette slice I would eat with soup and wish I had made more.

This is a delicious recipe. I made it as written, choosing vegetable broth (I like Better Than Bouillon for this), brown lentils. tricolor orzo, and a goat-milk feta cheese as the topping. The lemon zest & juice were plenty, and neither my husband nor I found it necessary to add more. This, by the way, is a really important component. The lemon really brings together the other flavors & makes them all pop. I peeled & cubed the eggplant. This is also a key ingredient; it adds buttery umami.

I made this soup tonight and could not stop raving (to myself) about the incredible flavors. I never appreciated coriander, but it really was outstanding in this dish.One thought for next time: I puzzled over preparing the eggplant, slice or dice? Directions say to chop into one inch pieces, but the photograph shows the eggplant in slices. I will definitely go for the slices next time. I also subbed white beans for the orzo to up the protein as per DJ's suggestion in an earlier post.

Recipe is way to complicated as written. Actual recipe:Roast 1 eggplant cut to 1" pcs.Make a light lentil soup with chicken broth, adding orzo after 15-20 minutes, when lentils are mostly softened. Add zest and juice of one lemon. Garnish with eggplant and lemon slices.

This worked very well with Puy lentils. Zested the whole lemon, but juiced half, it was enough, and one can always add more juice upon serving. I added quite a lot of chopped parsley and a dollop of pomegranate molasses at the end to go with the lemony flavor. Next time I will add some chiffonade cut spinach after the lentils to add some extra veggie goodness.

Seems to me that using a frying pan instead of a very hot oven would be easier and more efficient to brown the eggplant. Nice recipe. Thanks

I followed the recipe to the letter (except for cooking the eggplant almost twice as long to get it crunchy and golden) and it was delicious. I was convinced that the lemon zest plus juice would be too much but it was just right. Next time I’ll add a teaspoon or so of red pepper flakes with the garlic.

I really enjoyed this dish, with its bright flavors on a cold winter day. Lentil dishes are often a disappointment, but the orzo, eggplant, diced veggies, and feta provide so much texture and flavor that this one stands out as a winner. The only variation I made to the recipe was the addition of a diced, preserved lemon which I happened to have on hand. This is a great veggie main, but you could easily add beef or lamb to it if you wished.

I can see the attraction of substituting white beans for the orzo. My store didn't have orzo so I used cavatelli (tiny shells) and I loved chewiness the pasta provided. It was a very tasty dish!

Used lamb stock instead, which was terrific. I'd put this in the same family as Moroccan harira - it would probably be nice w/ some harissa sauce added with the tomato paste. Very flavorful, but I wouldn't mind a little spicy heat.

I made this using my Instant Pot with excellent results! Sauté as instructed, after addition of lentils and stock, seal IP and set manually for 15 mins. At the end, release pressure, add the orzo (I also added diced browned boneless, skinless chicken breasts) and set time for 5 minutes. Release steam, add lemon zest and juice, top with feta and enjoy!

I think red lentils would break down too much and too quickly.

Very much improved by the addition of Aleppo pepper and baby greens (spinach, kale, chard) added when off the heat.

I made this yesterday, prepared exactly as written. Delicious! Writer is correct; lemon zest and juice create a satisfying lingering taste in the tongue. I’d suggest starting the stew prior to toasting the eggplant, (I toasted mine in a toaster oven and it came out perfectly crisp with flavors that I’ve only dreamed of in eggplants before!). Leftovers? I added extra vegetable stock and cubed Campari tomatoes while reheating. Yummy!

Add red pepper flakes

One of my favorites on NYT. I follow recipe pretty closely but make a few adjustments - I add a snap can of tomato sauce instead of paste (I always was up wasting tomato paste when I buy it, since recipes call for so little) and added in some chili oil/crisp at that step as well. Gives it a boost of flavor. Don’t skip the lemon zest!

Super delicious. In an effort to use up odds and ends in the fridge, I added 1 small zucchini, 5 mushrooms and roughly 2 cups raw spinach.

This is a wonderful dish! Instead of orzo, I used some farro cooked al dente, which was lovely. I will probably try the white beans as others have suggested, or possibly chickpeas.

Good. Made as directed except used ground coriander --3/4 tsp, could have used a full tsp. Made w/4 c veg stock and 1 c water. had to add a cup of water to keep from drying out once pasta added. Next time def get some feta.

Well, it was quite delicious. Made as directed. But it looked nothing like the photo. More brown than red. Did add a little harissa, which didn't hurt it at all.

Tasty! I felt it needed some spice - pepper or chili flakes (I used a generous amount of aleppo). For vegan, I subbed the cheese with fancy olive oil & flaked sea salt

This was a huge hit. There was a richness to it that felt like meat had been added. Delish.

I've been making this for years now. It's perfect as written. Well, I also serve with feta and chopped preserved lemon rind. Beautiful. It creates excitement when I bring it to a potluck - as you can imagine. In the Midwest? It is the first dish to disappear. lol

Be cautious adding the lemon! I think mine must have been very ripe because it made the soup so sour that it nearly ruined it. The soup before the lemon was delicious so as long as you are more cautious than I am, it will be good. I ended up adding 2 cups of broth, one before and one after the orzo, because it had reduced too much. Eggplant took about 40 minutes to cook.

Made this (almost) as written. I diced the eggplant, and to add heat, I tossed it in a mixture of 3T garlic oil and 1T chili oil. Added a nice warmth, which I wouldn’t have thought of before reading other cooks’ comments. All I had on hand were red lentils, so I DID delay adding them until the last 20 minutes. Due to health reasons, my daughter can’t have pasta, so I subbed in Miracle Noodle “rice” for the orzo.

I had leftover lentils already cooked so I added it to the end when the pasta was cooked. Used the same amount of broth and added 3/4 cup of ditalini. I didn't have lemon juice, so I used sherry vinegar. Used four cloves and more celery. I didn't add cheese at the end. I'm pretty happy with the turnout. Added the roasted eggplant to the whole pot and let it simmer for a few more minutes. Savory and delicious. A combo of stew and soup.

This is one of the most delicious recipes I have made on NYT which is a very high bar. I used dried red lentils (as was concerned about color) which worked perfectly - they cooked faster than stated on pack. Used stellini as the pasta. I doubled the recipe and my family of four devoured it all one one meal. Sad to have no leftovers today);

I obviously did something wrong because mine was more a pilaf than a stew. However, it was still very tasty, albeit a bit too salty. It needed something to counter the density and saltiness.

I made this but substituted pearl barley for the orzo. The lemon zest and lemon juice add just the right flavor. I skipped the tomato paste since I cannot eat tomatoes. Such a hearty and healthy soup. This one is a keeper.