Lentil Soups: Easy, Filling, and Delicious
Have you made a pot of lentil soup lately? It is healthy cooking at its best: easy, substantial, tasty and loved by young and old alike. Lentils come in one-pound bags in the dry bean section of your grocery store. You’ll usually find two types: common greenish-brown lentils and orange lentils, which are really just common lentils without the skin on. You can also find tiny dark green lentils, called French lentils, but they are usually more expensive and may be in the gourmet or international section of the store. They all cook quickly and make wonderful soups.
Here are three of Diana’s favorite recipes. All use chicken or vegetable broth made from cubes or liquid concentrate as the base of the soup; she can choose her favorite brand or just use water if she prefers.
Golden Lentil Soup
1 cup orange lentils
6 cups of broth
4 carrots, chopped
1 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
pinch of cayenne, or to taste
Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a large pot and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Crush or puree the lentils with a hand blender. The recipe works just as well with regular (brown) lentils or split peas.
4-6 servings
italian lentil soup
1 cup lentils (any kind)
6 cups of broth
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of cayenne, or to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup bulgur
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, undrained, split
2 10-ounce bags baby spinach leaves (or use frozen spinach)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients except spinach and black pepper in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lentils and bulgur are tender. Remove the bay leaves. Add the spinach leaves, cover, and cook an additional 2 minutes. Serve with ground pepper to taste.
6-8 servings
Lemon Lentil and Spinach Soup
8 cups of broth
1 chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cups of lentils (any type)
1 medium red potato, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of cayenne, to taste
1 10-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
juice of a lemon
freshly ground pepper
Put the broth, onion, garlic, celery, lentils, potatoes and spices in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes or until lentils and potatoes are tender. Add spinach and lemon juice and cook 5 more minutes. Serve with ground pepper to taste.
6-8 servings