Words and recipe by Xanthe Ross. Photo by Ola O. Smit.
We’re always looking for recipes that are versatile enough to work with different eating styles, and this one from Stay for Supper does just that. These creamy lentils with salsa rossa are comforting, easy to adapt, and pair with almost anything. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll make on repeat. You can find it below, along with more ideas in Stay for Supper. Order your copy here.
“This recipe has been a family staple for as long as I can remember and has weathered the changes in the family’s eating habits from vegan to vegetarian to pescatarian to omnivore and back again! Not only is it deeply warming and delicious on its own, but it also goes with everything: serve it as an accompaniment to sausages, fish, chicken, tofu or even steak. The salsa rossa is a tangy contrast to the smooth lentils. Feel free to stir some wilted spinach through the lentils to add some greens. You could also try serving it as a warm salad with torn mozzarella or soft goat’s cheese and crispy breadcrumbs. The recipe for the salsa rossa makes more than you will need for this dish, so I’d suggest keeping it in the refrigerator for 2–3 days and adding it to eggs and toast, eating it with pasta or putting it on anything else you’d like.”
My Mum’s Braised Lentils with Salsa Rossa
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin
- olive oil, plus extra to serve
- knob of unsalted butter
- 2 onions, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a pinch of salt
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 180 ml (6 fl oz/ 3/4 cup) red wine
- 500 g (1lb 2oz) Puy lentils, rinsed
- 5 bay leaves
- few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 750 ml (25 fl oz/3 cups) vegetable stock
- ½ large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stalks chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin
- olive oil
- knob of unsalted butter
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a pinch of salt
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon ancho chilli, hot pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 200 g (7oz) medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 - 400 g (14oz) tin of good- quality plum tomatoes, chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground
- black pepper
- FOR THE SALSA ROSSA
Instructions
- Start by making the salsa rossa. Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan on a low heat. Add the onion, season with a generous pinch of salt and cook gently for about 10 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of
- minutes, then throw in the cinnamon stick and the chilli flakes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Take out the cinnamon stick, add the fresh tomatoes and cook on a medium heat for a few minutes. Once the tomatoes have cooked down a little, add the tinned tomatoes and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, then cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. Take o! the heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook the lentils. Heat the olive oil and butter to a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onions, season with a generous pinch of salt and cook gently for 10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for about 15 minutes until soft and tender, being careful not to let the vegetables catch and colour.
- Add the red wine and cook o! the alcohol for a few minutes, then stir in the lentils, bay leaves, thyme and enough stock to cover the lentils.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still have a bit of a bite. You may need to add a bit more stock if the lentils are drying out too much. Fish out the woody thyme sprigs, stir in the red wine vinegar and check the seasoning.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the chopped parsley, then serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a spoonful of salsa rossa.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Stay for Supper, Quadrille, 2025. Text copyright © Xanthe Ross 2025. Photography © Ola O. Smit 2025.