Lentil Soup
Packed full of vegetables, this lentil vegetable soup is full of protein, fiber and nutrients to make a beautiful healthy meal.Approximately 6-8 large servings
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 3 big carrots or 15 baby carrots diced
- 5 celery stalks diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Red pepper flakes optional
- 16 oz bag of lentils
- 32 oz reduced sodium broth chicken or vegetable
- 1-2 sweet potatoes diced small
- 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- 1-2 Tablespoon ketchup
- Black Pepper to your liking
- 2-3 teaspoons turmeric or to your liking
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat, add oil. Once oil is hot, add carrots, celery, and onion to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent about 7-10 mins
- While the vegetables are cooking, rinse and drain bag of lentils in a small-holed colander or in a bowl. Be sure to thoroughly look at lentils as you rinse. Look to remove any fine particles, dirt, stones that could be found in a bag of lentils.
- Once vegetables are soft and translucent, add the garlic and red pepper flakes (optional) to the pot, stir for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the lentils, broth, sweet potatoes and tomato sauce. Stir well, cover and bring to a low boil. Let simmer for 30 minutes. **
- Add ketchup, and seasonings to the pot. Stir and continue to simmer for at least another 30 minutes.
- **Note: You will definitely need to add more liquid as it simmers, as it can get too thick. I typically will alternate between adding water and broth**
- After the 30 mins or less of simmering, taste the lentils. If they are still chewy, they need more time. Lentils and sweet potato should be tender. Add more seasonings to your liking. Again, you may have to add more liquid, use your judgment on the consistency.
- Once the lentils are tender and the consistency is to your liking serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (based on 8 servings)
269 Calories, 5 gram fat, 16 grams protein, 44 grams total carbohydrate, 5 grams sugar, 7 grams fiber, 105 mg sodium
Notes:
Lentils don’t have to soak like dried beans ,they are able to cook in under an hour in boiling liquid
32 oz (4 cups) of broth is just to start the soup cooking. You will likely need an additional 2-3 cups of liquid. Soup gets very thick, you will need to keep adding liquid as it cooks because the lentils absorb a lot of liquid. I enjoy lentil soup on the thicker side so towards the end of cooking I add just enough liquid to get it to the consistency I prefer.
Additions/substitutions: Feel free to substitute or add other vegetables , fresh or frozen, like red peppers, tomatoes, spinach, kale, corn and more. Skip the sweet potato if you don’t have one but I think it adds a nice subtle sweetness.
I had no canned tomato sauce in my pantry so I pureed canned diced tomatoes instead. Add your favorite herbs/spices or some freshly squeezed lemon juice at the end for a little zing.