It’s as simple as this, once the leaves start to change colour, and there’s a nip in the air, it’s soup season! I love making a big batch of soup on the weekend and having meals for the week. Soup is such a great vehicle for veggies and protein. You can easily get in a good portion of your daily nutritional requirements, in just one serving! The key is adding in extra vegetables that may not be traditionally part of a recipe, but compliment it well.
This lentil soup recipe is just one example of how you can sneak in a bunch of extra veggies, into a traditional recipe. A “traditional” lentil soup is usually lentils, carrots, celery, onion, broth and diced tomatoes. This basic lentil soup is a great source of protein (fun fact, lentils are a GREAT source of plant based protein) and a pretty good source of veggies. To really kick it up though, I like to add in a leafy green (like kale or spinach) right at the end of the cooking time to get in an extra boost of vitamins and fiber. I also sneak mushrooms into this recipe which creates a nice meaty feel to the soup.
This recipe is fully vegan, but you can also add in turkey or ham bone to get a nice smoky flavour in your broth.
Ingredients
- 1 small white onion ,finely diced
- 3-4 carrots, chopped
- 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 container of cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup of dried green lentils
- 4 and 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 bunch of kale, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Recipe
- Heat 1/2 tsp of olive oil on medium heat in a large pot. Add in the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent.
- Add in the cremini mushrooms, cover and cook until the juices release (2-3 minutes)
- Add in the carrots, celery and your spices. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
- Add in the lentils, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add in your broth, lower the heat to medium- low and let the soup come to a low simmer.
- Cook the soup for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are soft and some of the broth has absorbed.
- Add in the chopped kale. Let your soup cook for another 10 minutes or so until the kale is soft.
- Serve and enjoy!
The soup will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days (vegetable based soups stay longer in the fridge than a meat based one).
