So, I’ve been kind of mackin’ on lentils lately. If you’re a longtime reader, you may have noticed that I haven’t cooked with lentils too often. I bought some a couple of weeks ago because I wanted to give them a shot. I’ve had plenty of lentil dishes at restaurants, but for some reason, I just never introduced them into my kitchen—until now. This nutty, earthy legume is not only tasty, but it’s pretty healthy too: high in fiber which helps lower cholesterol, control weight and keeps things moving smoothly; high in magnesium and folate which promotes heart heath and improves blood and oxygen flow; and is an excellent source of protein. How ’bout that?! Add in some other healthy veggies and you have yourself a powerful bowl of vegan goodness. This soup started out with me scouring the produce drawers; not much there at the moment because I have to hit the grocery store tomorrow, so I wasn’t sure how prolific this soup would be, but I’m thrilled with the results. If you’ve fallen out of love with lentils, rekindle the magic with this hearty, comforting bowl of lentil love.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
9 C vegetable broth
1-1/2 C lentils (I used half green, half red)
1 C pasta (I used rotini, but any small pasta will do)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
2 C mushrooms, quartered or chopped
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
4 C spinach (about 1 cup of that was kale), chopped
DIRECTIONS:
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and add the garlic; cook 1-2 minutes. Add the onions and cook until they soften and brown just slightly, about 10 minutes. Add in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the lentils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover (I didn’t cover completely. I left a 1/2″ gap). Cook 40 minutes, but stir once in a while. Next, add the pasta and increase heat to medium. Stir occasionally.
Once the pasta is about halfway cooked–about 5 minutes–reduce heat and stir in the mushrooms.
Cook another 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and spinach. Lower heat and cook until the greens have cooked down, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 9 C vegetable broth
- 1-1/2 C lentils (I used a half green, half red)
- 1 C pasta (I used rotini, but any small pasta will do)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 C mushrooms, quartered or chopped
- 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
- 4 C spinach (about 1 cup of that was kale), chopped
- In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and add the garlic; cook 1-2 minutes. Add the onions and cook until they soften and brown just slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Add in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the lentils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover (I didn't cover completely. I left a ½" gap). Cook 40 minutes.
- Next, add the pasta and increase heat to medium. Stir occasionally.
- Once the pasta is about halfway cooked--about 5 minutes--reduce heat and stir in the mushrooms.
- Cook another 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and spinach. Lower heat and cook until the greens have cooked down, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!
