Lentil Soup

Lentil soup is comforting, simple, and easy to throw together.  This easy to make recipe gives you all the basics to make a homemade lentil soup!

Lentil soup is comforting, simple, and easy to throw together. We could all use a big bowl of comfort after this past week. Lentils used to intimidate me however I’m not sure why. They’re actually touted as the easiest bean/legume to cook. For some strange reason I’ve always had problems cooking without them fully cooking. Perhaps it was a lack of liquid or user error, but I’ve finally turned a corner on lentils. This recipe will be your go-to recipe that’s easy, delicious, and nutritious.

This past week has been a week. I can only share my experience and while I know mine is nothing compared to those losing their jobs and facing financial burdens, I think stress in general has faced us all in some way or form this week. My stress is my health. Woke up Monday with a heaviness in my chest, a slight cough, and a fever. While the cough may be allergy related (post nasal drip and allergy season all falling at the same time as this COVID-19 didn’t help matters, the “heaviness” in my chest and the fever are still what get me. Overall I guess you could say I’ve felt fine. However, there is that sense of doubt of why am I feeling off?

This morning I woke up with a normal reading, but as of right now it is back up to 99.9. I did a telehealth visit and the doctor said my risk for corona virus is low. Regardless you try hard not to think that you could possibly have the virus. Since I do not meet the requirements for testing in my area, but even if I did, the same treatment as of now would be to stay home.

“Social distancing” is a new norm. It was slow to catch on here in Miami, however, I do believe most are now adhering to this recommendation. With social distancing there has come a shift in how my job has changed. Normally we do presentations out in the community. Via Zoom we launched Zumba classes, yoga classes, meditation classes, and nutrition classes. Completely virtual and from the comfort of your home or wherever you may be.

Our new norm is presenting virtually. Maintaining social distance but still connecting socially. Presenting live from my kitchen. A few classes I discussed stocking up (versus stockpiling) and even show a few meals that you can make from staples in your kitchen. Check the website for all our programming. Click here

Lentil soup aka comfort in a bowl. This is something I’ve been wanting to write down for awhile now. The basic beginnings of any soup: carrots, celery, and onion. Using some of the last of some of my veggies, the last can of fire-roasted tomatoes in my pantry, and a box of low-sodium chicken broth. You can use fresh herbs, or use dried herbs if you don’t have fresh. And for the potatoes that I added feel free to use a sweet potato or any squash if you have that too. Last but not least, add leafy greens right at the end. With only have spinach left in my fridge, I plan to eat it raw as a salad for a couple of meals vs cooked in this soup. Use what you have and make it your own. Without further ado, my one-pot lentil soup.

Lentil Soup

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Lentil soup is comforting, simple, and easy to throw together.  This is an easy recipe with all the basics to get you going and making a homemade lentil soup!

• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 carrot stalks, sliced thin
• 3 celery stalks, sliced thin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups potatoes, diced
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 can – 28 ounces – fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 cup green lentils
• 2 cups fresh greens*

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Instructions

1. Heat a dutch-oven over medium heat with extra-virgin olive oil.  Once hot, add carrots and celery.  Season with black pepper and stir.
2. Sauté for ~5 minutes or until slightly tender.  Add in garlic and onion and continue sautéing for 2 additional minutes.
3. Add potatoes and season with a little bit more pepper.  Stir and cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, and herbs and increase heat to medium-high.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Then add lentils and stir.  Once simmering again, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 20-25 minutes – or until lentils and potatoes are tender.
5. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, more pepper, more herbs, and more vegetable broth (if it’s gotten too thick).

Notes

*I added the garlic and onion mid-way through the celery and carrots sautéing to avoid them browning, however, you could add everything all at once.  Just monitor it so the garlic and onions don’t brown.

*I only had shallots to use from my pantry.  You can use a leek, yellow onion, vidalia onion, whatever onion family member you have!

*You can use potatoes, sweet potatoes, and/or any squash you have on hand.

*I used 2 rosemary sprigs, which would be about 2 teaspoons dried rosemary (1 sprig = 1 teaspoon dried)

*I had to cook my lentils for a total of 30 minutes until they were thoroughly cooked (still getting used to my new stove settings I assume).

*Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.  Reheat on the stove and add more vegetable broth as needed.  When I reheat my soup this is where I add my greens (so they don’t get brown over the week) and they’re freshly cooked each time! (When and if I have greens and today I did not).

*To perk up the soup just before serving, top it with a drizzle of peppery olive oil, a dollop of plain yogurt, or a sprinkle of sumac.

• Author: Amy’s Nutrition Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 30
• Category: Soups