Green Lentil & Vegetable Soup

A few people requested the recipe for the Green Lentil and Vegetable soup I posted this week on Instagram. I haven’t really been posting many recipes because my camera broke and I have yet to fix it. As a result, this post will be lacking pictures but will be updated later on.

This soup is definitely highly nutritious and hearty. It is quite balanced as well because it contains green lentils for protein and several different vegetables. The best part is that my whole family likes this particular soup, even Udayan who is not a fan of any other soups. Vishnu’s appetite has been really poor lately due to teething, however he has been loving the Green Lentil and Vegetable Soup so much. I’m actually making another batch today. If you try this recipe, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Green Lentil & Vegetable Soup RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of green lentils, rinsed
• 1/4 cup good quality EVOO
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 stalk of celery, sliced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 28oz. can of flame-grilled diced tomatoes plus liquid
• 6 cups of homemade vegetable broth
• 1 cup of chopped kale/spinach or both
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• Optional: red chilli flakes and additional parsley

Instructions:

1. Rinse the lentils in cold water, then let soak in fresh water until ready to use.
2. Heat the olive oil in large pot on med-high until it simmers. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and stir often until onions turn golden and translucent.
3. Add the ground cumin, curry powder, and parsley, and stir for a couple minutes before adding the diced tomatoes plus liquid. Cook, stirring often, for approximately 10 minutes until tomatoes are soft.
4. Add the vegetable broth, lentils, and salt and cook covered for approximately 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Lentils are cooked when they are soft but hold their shape.
5. Puree 2-3 cups of the soup in a blender and add it back into the pot. Give it a good stir and add the spinach or kale and cook until the leaves wilt.
6. Add black pepper, red chilli flakes, and additional chopped parsley if desired.

NOTE:

• Olive oil can be reduced, however the olive oil really adds a rich flavour.
• If you cannot find flame-grilled tomatoes, regular diced tomatoes can be substituted.
• Homemade vegetable broth tastes so much better than any store bought variety. If you are short on time, try using organic vegetable broth. It is low in sodium.
• Serve warm. We eat ours with Ace Bakery garlic bread but a plain crusty bread would be a good choice too.
• This recipe makes a lot, however the soup can be frozen for another day. If making for just one or two people, halve the recipe.