Vegetable broth and dried lentils make up the base of the meal. You can use chicken broth or bouillon cubes, but I've always liked that this is a vegan-friendly dish.

From there, you can get pretty creative with the rest of the ingredients in this stew.

I typically use carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and kale, but broccoli, peas, spinach, parsnips, or peppers would also be good. Basically, you can clear out whatever leftover produce you have in your fridge or freezer.

The first step is simple: Pour 4 cups of broth into a large pot. Resist the urge to salt it— that will come later.

Once the broth is at a rolling boil, add 2 cups of dried lentils. I use a blend of brown and green, but it's totally up to you and your preferences. You could also add some split peas to the mix.

Reduce the heat to an energetic simmer before moving on.

As the lentils begin to cook, peel and chop two carrots.

I like to cut them into coins roughly an eighth of an inch thick, but if you have stockier carrots, you can also split them lengthwise first.

Peel and dice one medium-sized potato — I usually use russet — and add the pieces to the simmering water.

You can also use a couple of smaller potatoes, like red or Yukon Gold, if that's what you have.

If it suits the palates at your table, double the amount of potato. My family isn't huge on tubers, so I go lighter, but I don't recommend skipping them entirely because they add a nice texture.

Rinse and chop two celery stocks (or three if they're on the smaller side) and toss them into the pot.

Pro tip: You can use frozen celery, but if you do, add it later, just before the kale. Freezing celery breaks down some of its cellular structure, so it could overcook if added here.

At this point, roughly 10 minutes into the cooking process, things should be moving and grooving.

Peel and finely chop half an onion for the stew.

You can use a yellow or a white onion, though I find yellow fits the flavor profile better.

The measurement here isn't overly specific. If your onion is quite large, use less than half, and if it's smaller, use more than half. When in doubt, err on the side of adding more.

Last come the greens. I recommend tearing the kale off its stalks and roughly ripping up the leaves before chopping it up into smaller bits.

Add the kale to the stew and stir it well, incorporating all the pieces of the thick, leafy green into the mix.

Give the stew two to three minutes over a low simmer for all of the flavors to coalesce, stirring occasionally. Then taste and add salt and/or pepper to your liking.

I like to dole out portions into pre-chilled bowls (this stuff gets quite hot) before serving my family.

If I want to beef up the meal a little, I'll pair it with homemade bread, noodles, or rice, but it's also great as-is — especially if you went heavy on the potatoes,