10-Minute Italian Lentil Bowl

To make the Italian Lentil Bowl:  Preheat a medium sauté pan over high heat.  While the pan pre-heats, dice the onion and slice the mushrooms.  Once the pan is hot, add the mushrooms and onion to the pan. Spread into a single layer.  Now leave them alone!  Let them brown 1-2 minutes before stirring.  Stir, spread into a single layer again, and let them keep browning.  The browning will take about 3-4 minutes total.

While the onions and mushrooms brown, dice the tomato and mince the garlic.  Once the mushrooms are brown, add the dried Italian spices.  Cook just 20-30 seconds, until the spices become aromatic.

Add the diced tomato and minced garlic, along with 1 cup of water.  Use your spatula to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.  Let the mixture come to a boil and simmer.  While this cooks, drain and rinse the lentils.

After the mixture has simmered a couple of minutes, add the spinach, drained lentils, and nutritional yeast.  Stir well to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and serve.

Yield: 8 cups

Chef Katie’s Tips

Use as a Lasagna Filling: You can use this lentil mushroom mixture as a filling for Italian stuffed peppers or layer between thinly sliced zucchini for a super-veggie lasagna.

Frozen Veggies:  You can swap out any type of frozen green for the spinach.  Frozen broccoli, kale, or even frozen Brussels sprouts are all tasty.

Quick Spices: You can swap out the dried spices for 2 teaspoon of a basic Italian spice mix.