Plento Pasto Cookbook20-Minute Spiced Ethiopian Lentil Wat with Injera-Style Flatbread
⏱ 20 min
🍽 Serves 4
≈ $11.80 ($2.95/serving)
average
Why this fits a family on a budget
Misir Wat is Ethiopia's beloved spiced red lentil stew — deeply savory, warmly spiced with berbere, and naturally built for scooping with bread, making it a hands-on, family-friendly centerpiece. It comes together in one pan in under 20 minutes, rivaling the comfort of any weeknight pasta night.
Ingredients
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic cloves
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp berbere spice blend
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 4 pieces store-bought naan or pita flatbread
• 0.25 cup fresh cilantro
• 0.5 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
Instructions
1. Finely dice the onion. Mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat until foamy, about 1 minute.
3. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly golden, about 4 minutes.
4. Add garlic, ginger, and berbere spice blend. Stir constantly for 60 seconds until fragrant — the mixture will look dry and paste-like.
5. Stir in tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds, pressing it into the onion mixture.
6. Pour in the canned diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir to deglaze any browned bits off the bottom.
7. Add red lentils and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a vigorous simmer.
8. Cook uncovered, stirring every 2 minutes, for 10–12 minutes until lentils are completely soft and the wat has thickened to a porridge-like consistency. Add a splash of broth if it looks too thick.
9. While the wat simmers, warm the flatbreads directly over a gas burner on medium flame for 20–30 seconds per side, or in a dry skillet, until charred in spots.
10. Taste the wat and adjust salt. Serve in shallow bowls or directly on a platter alongside warm flatbread. Dollop with yogurt and scatter fresh cilantro on top.
Contains: dairy, gluten. Always double-check labels for your household's allergies.
Cost is a national-average estimate and varies by store and region.
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This recipe was generated by Plento Pasto's AI from a library of family-friendly dishes and reviewed for a real photo before publishing. Cooking times, costs, and nutrition are estimates — use your judgment in the kitchen.
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