Vegetable Lentil Soup
I have a confession to make.
I LOVE soup.
I know, not very juicy, but I’m certain that I love soup more than the average person. I always have. My favorites are creamy tomato, potato, broccoli cheese, beer cheese, clam chowder…
Do you see the trend here? Soups full of cream sure are comforting, but they are also fattening. So what can we do to make our soups healthier? Add a TON of good vegetables and use a broth base instead of a cream base. Beans and lentils are SO GOOD for you. Unfortunately, soups are just about the only place I can actually tolerate the texture of beans and lentils. So this is a perfect avenue for me to get down with my legumes! I’ll try not to groan and whine too much.
Soups are also a lot easier to make than you might think. I really wanted this to be a dump and cook recipe, so that’s exactly what you do to make it. Dump in the veggies, spices, broth, and lentils, and simmer away! It couldn’t be easier! And, you also get to practice your super ninja knife skills! What could be better?
So let’s get to cooking!
Vegetable Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
4 Carrots
4 stalks of celery
1/2 onion
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 small head of cauliflower
1 cup frozen green beans
3/4 cup lentils
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 32oz cartons of chicken broth (the lentils soak up the broth, so you may need to add more if you are eating this soup throughout the week.)
1. Chop the carrots, celery, and onions and add to the pot. Add the seasoning, salt and pepper, and cook on medium high. This is called a Mirepoix (mir-pwah), which is French for carrots, celery, onions, and seasoning. It’s a common base for soups and stews.
2. Add the canned tomatoes.
3. Add the chicken broth.
4. Chop up the cauliflower and add it to the pot.
5. Add the green beans.
6. Add the lentils.
7. Let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are cooked and tender.
8. Eat hot or let cool and add to a container and store in the fridge.
Makes 5 servings. Calories: 221 Fat: 3g Carbohydrates: 31.8g Protein: 17.3g
What’s your favorite kind of soup? Let us know in the comments section!
Crystal is the founder of Simply Playful Fare. She has been in the kitchen for as long as she can remember. She has a degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing.
Thanks for posting this. I made this for dinner and my meat loving, lentil hating fiance loved it. He actually thought it was high end restaurant worthy!
Thank you so much! I am SO glad you liked it!