A delicious Italian Classic to ring in the New Year. Lentils are a sign of good luck for the New Year and these stewed Italian Lentils are so delicious, filled with vegetables, and easy to make! Make this side dish for good luck this year!
Looking for more easy Italian side dishes? Try our Eggplant Caponata, Zucchini alla Scapece or Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe (Tuscan).
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Italian Lentils for the New Year
Some believe that it can bring you a year of good fortune to have lentils on New Year's Day. There's some ancient Roman lore that lentils in leather purses were given to friends as a gift for good luck. The lentils looked somewhat like ancient Roman coins.
I think for me, I've usually eaten like a cafone for the past two months and this Italian Lentils dish is a great way for me to soak in some vegetables and have a nice healthy meal. On New Year's Day, I also might make White Bean Lentil Soup or Sausage and Lentil Soup to enjoy lentils in a heartier meal than this side dish.
This side dish is perfect to serve with Italian Chicken Cutlets or Chicken Rollatini. It's filling, easy to make, and filled with vegetables. It's not just a New Year good luck charm but also a wonderfully easy side dish to shake it up from potatoes or rice!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Lentils. I use green lentils for my recipe but you could also use brown/red lentils. Green lentils are slightly nuttier while red can be sweeter and brown are just milder.
- Red Wine. I use a cabernet sauvignon or merlot. I like to use a bolder wine to add more flavor to the dish. I would avoid wines like Pinot Noir.
- Tomato Paste. I like to add a bit of tomato paste directly to the pan to caramelize to add a slightly sweet tomato flavor to the dish
- Vegetables. I use carrots, onions, and celery but you could add or substitute mushrooms, zucchini, or chopped spinach.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Italian Lentils
I love these stewed Italian Lentils because you can make it in the morning and have it sit on low on the stove for a few hours. Add a little chicken broth here and there and you can enjoy this throughout the day. We usually enjoy these for lunch with some Cast Iron Chicken Breast or a grilled cheese like our Gruyere Grilled Cheese or Eggplant Caprese Grilled Cheese
Step 1: Place a large saucepan on medium heat and add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, stir in the carrots, celery, and onion. Saute for 8 minutes, until softened.
Step 2: Add the tomato paste to the saucepan in a place where it directly touches the pan. Let it sit for 2 minutes to caramelize in the pan. This will cook the paste and allow for more depth of flavor.
Step 3: Then stir the tomato paste through the vegetable mixture and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 more minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the lentils and coat well with the mixture.
Step 5: Pour in the red wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the red wine is completely absorbed.
Step 6: Add the chicken broth and the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and bring to a low simmer. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
Step 7: Remove the lentils from the heat and serve with crunchy Italian bread for dipping.
Italian lentils are a delicious, hearty side dish I love to serve with lunch or dinner. Lentils can be a great way to break up the week if you make the same starches over and over again.
Pro-Tips
- Saute the vegetables until soft before adding the lentils to bring out the most flavor in the dish by allowing the natural sugars to caramelize.
- Caramelize the tomato paste to the pan by placing it directly touching the pan for a more intense flavor.
- Let the lentils soak up the wine completely before adding the broth to concentrate the flavor into the lentils and reduce any bitterness.
- Always serve with bread to soak up the extra sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Italian Lentils can be considered good luck on New Year's Day. They symbolize money and prosperity. Lentils would be given to friends and family in a small purse to symbolize good luck and prosperity in ancient Rome.
Some Classic Italian lentils recipes are Lenticchie in Umido (stewed lentils) or lenticchie brasate with cotechino.
If you wanted more broth, you could make a lentil soup instead of these stewed lentils, like our Barley Lentil Soup. If you want less broth, you could cut out the red wine or cut out ½-1 cup of broth. I prefer a little extra broth to dip my bread in at the end.
What to Serve with Italian Lentils
Italian lentils can be served on their own with a piece of Italian bread for dipping or they can be a side dish to so many dishes!
- Chicken. Italian lentils go well with Restaurant-Style Chicken Francese or Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs.
- Pork. You could add some ground pork with Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning or serve it with Italian Ring Sausage (Chevalatta).
- Sandwich. Serve it alongside a sandwich like Eggplant Parm Sandwich or Chicken Parm Sliders!
- Vegetables. Add some more vegetable side dishes to your plate like Sauteed Rapini with Garlic or Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
More Italian Side Dishes
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
Italian Lentils
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup lentils
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place a large saucepan on medium heat and add 2 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, stir in the carrots, celery, and onion. Saute for 8 minutes, until softened.
- Add the tomato paste to the saucepan in a place where it directly touches the pan. Let it sit for 2 minutes then stir through the vegetable mixture and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the lentils and coat well with the mixture. Then pour in the red wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the red wine is completely absorbed. Add the chicken broth and the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and bring to a low simmer. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and serve with crunchy Italian bread for dipping.
Notes
- Sauteing the vegetables well before adding the lentils, will bring out the most flavor in the dish.
- Caramelize the tomato paste to the pan by placing it directly touching the pan for a more intense flavor.
- Let the lentils soak up the wine completely before adding the broth for the most concentrated flavor.
- Always serve with bread to soak up the extra sauce.
Becca
Wow! This was so flavorful and amazing! Loved the consistency too- nice and hearty. The whole family loved it. The only thing I did differently was add some garlic powder with the spices and sautéed maybe about 1tsp of minced garlic. Will definitely be making this again and in a bigger batch!
Beth Rossi
Made this for New Year's Day! It was delicious and easy to make!
Vinny
A delicious side dish with tons of flavor! Try this one for New Year's Day!