Instant Pot lentil fricot. An old Acadian recipe made vegan. This comforting soup is made with potatoes, carrots, onions, dumplings and in this case, lentils. This recipe can also be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for an easy and delicious weeknight meal.
I’m going back to my roots today with a traditional Acadian recipe – Fricot.
As I said, fricot is a traditional Acadian recipe, which I grew up eating when living in New Brunswick. Fricot is a dish made of chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions and dumplings. Of course my version is made vegan thanks to lentils and vegetable broth.
Red lentils add protein to this soup and also thickens the dish to make it stew-like and comforting. It’s then flavored with vegetable broth (instead of chicken broth), summer savory, onions, garlic and a touch of butter.
If you’re not from the Maritimes, then think of fricot as a sort of chicken and dumplings soup.
This recipe has a stovetop, slow cooker and Instant Pot version. Choose the option that works best for you! The stovetop and Instant Pot versions are my personal favorites.
How to Make a Stovetop Vegetarian Fricot
This variation requires the most time, but it’s perfect if you don’t have an Instant Pot and need dinner on the table in less than 1 hour.
Start by sautéing the onions and garlic in butter. Once the onions and garlic are golden and fragrant, add the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir it all together and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables and lentils are tender.
Top with the simple dumplings batter and let it cook covered for another 5 minutes. Done!
How to Make Vegetarian Fricot in the Slow Cooker
Toss all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours. Once it’s done, add the dumpling batter and cook for another 5 minutes. Done!
How to Make Vegetarian Fricot in the Instant Pot
This is the easiest and fastest method. All you need to do is sautee the onions and garlic in the Instant pot using the Sautee option for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, seal the Instant Pot and cook for 20 minutes.
Once it’s done, release the steam, add the dumpling batter and cook for another 2 minutes.
Looking for more recipes from the Maritimes? Check out these Nova Scotia Oatcakes.
Instant Pot Lentil Fricot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 4 large (or 6 small) potatoes, diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup split red lentils
- 5 cups vegetable broth, no salt added
- 1 1/2 teaspoons summer savory, dried (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Dumplings
- 1 cup flour (I used all purpose whole wheat)
- 3/4 cup plant-based milk of choice, plain and unsweetened
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Set the Instant Pot on the "sauté" setting for 5 minutes. Melt the butter, then add the garlic and onion and sauté until the timer goes off. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the dumplings, to your Instant Pot. Stir together and cook on soup setting for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the dumpling ingredients.
- Once done cooking, release the steam. Spoon the dumpling dough on the soup, cover and cook for another 2 minutes using the soup setting.
- Release the steam once again. Ladle into bowls and serve with pepper to taste.
Slow Cooker
- Add all the ingredients to the bowl of your slow cooker. Stir together and cover. Cook on high for 4 hours.
- Once done cooking, prepare the dumplings by mixing the ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon the dumpling dough onto the soup, then cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with pepper to taste.
Stovetop
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining soup ingredients (not the dumplings) and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for 15 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are cooked and tender. Stir occasionally. Taste and adjust salt and herbs to taste.
- Meanwhile, mix the dumpling ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Once the soup is done, spoon the dumpling dough onto the soup, then cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked. Serve immediately or let cool slightly and store in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
If you make this lentil fricot, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
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