Besides my dad’s onion soup, the only soups I remember eating as a kid were named, “Campbell’s.” Now, I’m not knocking Campbell’s—they’re very tasty. But they also usually make my extremities swollen, leaving me feeling like an elephant due to the super high sodium content. Besides, it very rarely leaves me feeling full. So, when lentil soup became the “new black,” I thought I’d see what it was all about.
My first step was googling “What are lentils?”
My next step?…. Googling “What are legumes?”
In my very thorough research I discovered it’s basically a seed inside of a pod (similar to a pea). It’s jam packed with a ton of nutrients. They are full of fiber too, so it keeps you full and satisfied like not many other soups can. The taste of this soup ends up being a mix of nutty flavors and some sort of a bean familiarity. It’s great for cold wintery nights when you just feel like curling up on the couch under a blanket, binge watching your favorite show.
Yields: 7 cups
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min
Ingredients:
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, peeled, then diced
1 small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1, 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles (not drained)
1 ¼ cup lentils (green)
½ bunch spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
1. Drizzle oil in heated pan. Add celery, carrot, onion and cook uncovered over medium/high heat until softened ~10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant ~1 minute.
2. Add broth, tomatoes with their juices, and lentils. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer, reducing heat to low ~40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add spinach and cook until wilted.
4. Puree ½ of the soup in a blender and add it back to the pot.
The Cook’s 2 Cents:
· This dish does not need salt. If you are a salt lover, taste it before adding salt. I think you’ll find you don’t need any.
· This soup freezes really well if you make too much. Freezer full? Try putting individual servings in Ziploc bags and stacking them on top of each other to save room.
· The consistency of the finished product should be “al dente”. You should feel the “bite” of the lentils but not really have to chew them.
· After blending, be careful when opening the top of the blender. Hot items can spit out. I use my nutribullet because the amount you’re blending doesn’t really warrant cleaning a full sized blender…. Lentils in a nutribullet—the new protein shake?
· I only puree ½ of the soup because the consistency should be a tad thicker than a pea soup. Or maybe mashed potatoes consistency if you’re not a pea soup fan.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups Servings per recipe: 4
Calories: 168 Fat: 5g Sodium: 1158mg Carbs: 24g Fiber: 7g Sugars: 6g Protein: 8g
