Lentil-Vegetable Soup !

                             

This Easy-To-Make Lentil Soup is definitely a recipe to keep handy during this cold winter!

Lentil soup is a very special soup for me because it reminds me of my family, especially my grandma, because she makes lentil soup quite often and has her own authentic recipe. When I make this soup, I add more vegetables to it and leave it chunky, others (like my grandma) prefer to blend it up, which you can also do if you prefer to! This soup is packed with flavor and nutrients of course. I kept it light, simple, and used tons of vegetables and spices to contribute to the flavor and health benefits. Hope you guys enjoy it as much I do!

Health Benefits: LENTILS are amazing for you, they come from the legume family like a bean or pea, and are excellent tools for weight loss! These mighty lentils are packed with protein, fiber, iron, minerals, and vitamins, with virtually no fat! So for all of my vegetarians/vegans out there that are looking to add more iron and protein in their diet, here is excellent source you should consider! 

Servings: 6 people 

Total Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes 

Ingredients: 

1 cup brown lentils 

1 cup red lentils 

4-6 stalks of celery 

4 carrots 

1 yellow onion

1 tomato

1/4 cup parsley

4 garlic cloves

1 lemon/zest

4 cups chicken or veggie stalk 

2-4 cups water 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

2 bay leaves 

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

How To Make It: 

1. Wash the carrots, tomatoes, celery, and parsley, and peel the carrots. 

2. Chop the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and parsley, you can do a rough chop since it is a rustic soup, just make sure to keep all the ingredients a similar size. Next, remove the thyme leaves from the stem and then place all of these ingredients to the side. 

3. In a medium sized pot sauté the carrots, onions, and celery in the olive oil for about 5-10 minutes or until the veggies are a little browned. 

4. Add the garlic and tomatoes, stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Add the fresh thyme, oregano, cumin, ground pepper, bay leaves. Then, add the lentils and make sure to coat them with the oils and mix together well, cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

6. Add 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. 

 

7. Add the zest of one lemon straight into the soup. 

8. Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the lentils are tender. Note, the red lentils are much smaller and cook much faster and may be barely visible once cooked, the brown lentils are larger and whole and will take a while to cook until they are tender. ALSO these lentil soak up a lot of the water so you will need to add water accordingly! 

9. Serve this soup hot and top it off with fresh parsley and lemon juice. 

Enjoy :)