My New “Fast Food” – Lentil Soup
Gayle and I traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, to visit family over the Easter Holiday. The day we headed home, we decided to drive straight through so we arrived in Louisville late in the day, tired and hungry.
Ever feel like that?
After four days of eating a bit outside our norm and the long drive home, we decided a hearty homemade soup sounded wonderful – specifically, a homemade lentil soup.
My “go to” lentil soup recipe is easy and quick to make.
I consider it my “fast food”, my “need something healthy and quick on the table” recipe.
The spices in the recipe include, cumin, smoked paprika and coriander seeds, wonderful herbs that support healthy living. In addition, the recipe includes celery, carrots, onions, and, of course, lentils, all of which are supported by research to support health and disease prevention.
This recipe is hearty, nutritious, easy to make and fast. Total prep and cook time is around 45 minutes.
I hope you enjoy it.
Fast and Easy Lentil Soup
8
servings15
minutes30
minutesWhen time is short, this yummy nutritious lentil soup recipe is fast and easy to get on the table. 15 minutes of prep time, followed by 30 minutes of cooking. The soup is naturally thick, satisfying and filling. As a bonus this soup recipe is easy on the budget.
Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 large onion
3 – 4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large carrots, chopped (not peeled)
2 celery ribs, chopped
28-ounce can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes (or 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes)
2 cups of dry green or brown lentils
7 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
3 cups of steamed kale
2 T fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Put Kale in steamer basket and steam for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the can of tomatoes (with juice), lentils, vegetable broth, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. Stir to incorporate everything.
- Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened.
- Stir in Kale and lemon juice. Season with salt to taste.
Notes
- For an oil free version, simply water sauté vegetables in step one.
- You can substitute kale with spinach. Cut spinach in ribbons. There is no need to steam the spinach ahead. Just stir it in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
- For a thinner soup, simply add more water or vegetable broth until desired consistency is reached.
- If desired, blend just a few minutes with an immersion blender for a slightly creamier soup.
- This soup freezes well. Either freeze for individual servings or large enough container for a complete “fast food” meal.
- Instead of steaming kale, you could add it to the pot the last 10 minutes of cooking to get it tender.
