I’ve been a huge fan of lentil soup for quite some time now. I mean what’s not to love? Lentil soup is super fast to make, it requires just one pan, the ingredients are pretty inexpensive, and it’s a complete nutrition dream when it comes to nutrients.
Lentils in general are an amazing source of fiber and protein. And when you combine it with extra veggies. WOW! Now that’s what I call a superfood meal. And that’s why I try to include lentil soup in my menu every other week. Because meal prepping becomes that much easier when you have a few go-to favorites. Lately, I find myself buying lentils practically every week.
As many of you know, I’ve been on a mission to cut back on my plastic consumption. And unfortunately lentils typically come in small plastic bags in the supermarket. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered a local store that sells grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and a bunch of other yummy favorites in bulk! All you have to do is bring your containers. A win for zero waste and I can now FULLY enjoy my lentils.
For this week’s version of my lentil soup, I added baby potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and spinach. And I can’t recommend enough this combination. But you can also simplify it and stick to just adding tomatoes or just spinach. Make it your own. Add, remove, replace, and tweak to your little heart’s desire.
Lentil Soup Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups lentils
- About 3-4 cups of water (depends how you like your soup)
- 1/3 white onion (chopped)
- 5-6 baby potatoes (cubed)
- 2 tomatoes (cubed)
- 2 medium carrots (sliced)
- A handful of spinach
- 2-3 celery stalks (chopped)
- Spices to season: 1 tsp of each smoked paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric. Salt and black pepper to taste.
Instructions:
- In a medium pan, cook onion with a little bit of olive oil using medium high heat.
- Add to the pan the spices, potatoes, and carrots to cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the water, tomatoes, and celery and allow to boil.
- When water starts to boil, lower the heat of the stove, add the lentils, cover the pan with lid, and allow to cook for about 20-25 minutes.
- Try the lentils and veggies to make sure everything is cooked. If it’s still a little too firm, let it cook for an extra 5 minutes. Also this is when you want to adjust the flavor. Add more spices or salt if needed.
- Add spinach last and give it a stir. You’ll notice that the spinach will cook pretty quickly and incorporate with the rest of the soup.
- Enjoy!
