A black savoury stew made with beluga lentils and spinach!  This super rich stew is so savoury and incredibly tasty, packed with strong flavours and lots of nutrients for warding off those winter blues. This soup recipe also includes vegetarian and vegan meat-free recipe variations. Inspired by the dark stew from Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

This dark, almost black stew is a real character of a dish. It’s very savoury, with rich pronounced flavours. Plus, this stew will really ward off those nasty winter blues that are still skulking around. Can we please get some sunshine already? It’s March now, good grief.

The Main Ingredients

The shining element of this recipe is the Beluga lentils, which add to the beautiful dark colour of the dish. Their name comes from the fact they are similar in size and colour to beluga caviar – but don’t worry, these lentils have nothing to do with Belugas.

Usually I recommend washing your lentils, but don’t do that for this recipe if you want to preserve their black hue. these black beluga lentils are my absolute favourite, as far as lentils go. Even if you don’t like most lentils, you’ll probably like these. Also, if you can’t find any Beluga lentils, just swap them for brown or green lentils. Your stew won’t be as dark in colour, but it will still be tasty.

Other elements that add to the colour and flavour of this stew are the red wine, spinach, anchovy paste, tomato paste, garlic, and the soy sauce. As far as the wine goes, choose a Merlot or Pinot Noir (as you would with boeuf bourguignon).

I know, you’re thinking – ugh anchovy paste! A little goes a long way, but please don’t knock it until you’ve tried adding it to your soups or stews. It’s the most concentrated, amazing umami flavour – literally mostly just sodium. If you really don’t want to, I offer an alternative below.

Make It Vegetarian or Vegan

It’s also very easy to make this stew vegan or vegetarian.

Simply use a ground meat substitute or a different item entirely – about a cup’s worth of whichever for this recipe (eg. swap the ground meat with 1 cup extra lentils).

Here are just a few ground meat alternatives:

• Finely diced mushrooms – This will add so much flavour (probably my favourite swap)
• Wild rice or black rice (you may need to cook this rice before adding it to the stew, or just simmer your soup for a while longer, about 40-45 minutes instead of just 20 minutes).
• Orzo pasta
• Farro
• Barley
• Hard tofu, crumbled
• Tempeh, crumbled
• More lentils – black, brown or green
• Black beans or kidney beans
• Split green peas (or fresh green peas, for that matter!)

The only other thing you’d need to worry about it the anchovy paste (which again, I offer an easy plant-based swap for below).

For a vegan version, the honey could also be substituted with brown sugar or maple syrup.

Dark Stew in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

In Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, you can make dark stew in any cooking pot by combining a dark clump with a raw meat item and a seafood item.

Most raw meats will work – raw meat, prime meat, gourmet meat, as well as raw whole bird, bird thigh, or raw drumsticks.

Any kind of fish works too, for the seafood element. Just pick your most abundant crab, bass, porgy, trout, or snail. I always have way way WAY too many cave fish – so into the pot they go!

Dark Stew in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: Dark Clump + Raw Meat + Any Seafood.

Using basic meat and seafood ingredients without elemental effects (eg. raw meat + Hyrule bass) will create a Warding Dark Stew. This is because the dark clump adds a “warding” effect.

If you want to create a dark stew without any elemental warding effect, simply add a vegetable item that has elemental properties, and the two effects will cancel each other out.

Alternatively, just add a seafood item with an elemental effect – Staminoka bass, one of your million bright-eyed crabs… “son and done.”

Let me tell you, I was so hesitant to make these warding meals with dark clumps at the beginning of playing Tears of the Kingdom, but now I’m all for it. I always have a huge surplus of dark clumps, thanks to the Gloom Hands!

---

Black Beluga Lentil Spinach Stew

Instructions

1. Dice the onion and mince the garlic, then set aside. 
2. Defrost the chopped spinach (if using frozen) – or wash and chop the fresh spinach (if using fresh), then set aside.
3. Add the oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Once heated, add the ground meat, and cook for 5-10 minutes, until browned. Stir ocassionally to avoid burning.
4. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the beluga lentils – don’t wash them if you wish to retain the black colour in the stew.
6. Pour in 1 cup of broth to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the remaining broth, filtered water, wine, soy sauce, tomato paste, honey, and anchovy / miso paste.
7. Bring the stew to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Add the chopped spinach, then continue to simmer the stew for another 5 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
9. Adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.
10. Serve the stew hot, garnished with freshly chopped Italian parsley.

---

Secrets of a Deliciously Dark Warding Stew

A few tips and tips to really get the most of of your dark stew! This recipe really packs a punch of nutrients and is just… aggressively tasty and delicious.

Add fresh parsley. This adds so much flavour, and it pairs really well with the spinach. Add the fresh chopped herbs just before serving – dried herbs are added during cooking, by comparison.

Don’t skip the wine either for that matter – go with a Merlot or Pinot noir for best results. If you really don’t want to use wine, just add more broth.

Want to make this stew spicy? Try adding a drizzle of chili oil over top just before serving.

So, did you make this dark Beluga lentil spinach stew? Let me know!