Lentil Soup… sounds so bland and boring. But honestly this soup is anything but bland and boring! It is so versatile! Not only is it hearty during this cold winter season but it’s very healthy, full of protein, super fast to cook compared to other legumes, it’s budget friendly (I’m talking less than a dollar for a 1 lb bag) and great for big families (or small for that matter)!
A 1 pound bag of lentils makes a pot big enough to feed my family of seven. So don’t pass up this legume the next time you see it.
I chopped up one medium onion, a half of a red bell pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, and 4 peeled carrots. You could add pretty much anything kind of vegetable that you have available. Celery, sweet potato, zucchini, squash, jalapeños, spinach, whatever suits your fancy (or you have available, like me).
Put a big pot on the stove with a couple of tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Heat at medium.
(I just love my cast iron dutch oven… I own a couple of them)
When the oil is good and hot, add your veggies & take a big whiff because the smell of the veggies hitting the hot oil is… AMAZING!!!
This is where your flavor comes in. Spice time! I add lots of spices because I love flavor but you can tone it down if you don’t want it too spicy. Here is the spice breakdown…
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Red Chili flakes
Salt to taste
Let this cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in your 1 lb bag of lentils, stir.
Add 2- 4 cup boxes (mine comes in a box) (8 cups all together) of fat free reduced sodium Chicken Broth. Add a cup of water more if needed.
Cook on medium for a couple of hours or until creamy and most of the broth has absorbed. Perfection!
Serve with chopped cilantro or tomatoes. Also, to get the protein in that you need add a little greek yogurt or a small sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, or even a little sour cream! This fed my family of 7 (3 adults eaters, and 4 little eaters). I figured the cost to be about $5.00 for the pot (assuming you have the spices already). If you want it to be even more inexpensive you could cut half of the broth back and add water instead. This takes a little away from the flavor but will work too.
If you are following the Trim Healthy Mama Plan this is an E dinner!
Enjoy!
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Lentil Soup for the Soul
Description
Lentils soup- a great carb source E meal for Trim Healthy Mama’s. Full of flavor and very comforting!
Ingredients
- 1– 1 lb bag of dry lentils
- 1– medium onion chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped (you can use any color bell peppers you want)
- 4 cloves of garlic chopped
- 4– peeled carrots chopped or 1 cup of baby carrots chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 2 – boxes (4 cups each box) beef or chicken broth fat free low sodium
- 1–2 tbsp. oil ( your choice)
Spices
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp black powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt to taste
- 1 cup of water more (if needed)
Instructions
- Heat up big dutch oven pot or big pot.
- Add the oil.
- Chop all veggies.
- Add veggies to oil.
- Cook for 10 minutes on medium till.
- Add lentils and spices.
- Add broth.
- Stir well.
- Allow to cook for a couple hours until tender.
Crock pot option
- Add everything to the crockpot and stir.
- Set crockpot on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Notes
- (if needed cook longer until tender)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
Looks good! I don’t think I’ve ever tried lentils. I need to get some!
They really are good! I was surprised when I first tried them, but the do need “dressing up” like soaking up good chicken broth while the cook! 🙂
This is my FAVORITE lentil soup recipe! I add turkey sausage to it and throw in choppped kale right before serving just to warm it through. I cook it in my instant pot for 20 minutes and then natural pressure release.
I even add another shake of cumin and cayenne to each bowl.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for finally talking about > blog_title < Liked it!
Thanks so much!
Very good and flavorful soup. I only used half the chili powder and half the pepper flakes and it still had a little bite to it.
Oh good… so glad you adapted it to yourself! I tend to lean more toward more spice so I probably should note to use less if you don’t want it too spicy 🙂
What is a serving size? Looks yummy!!
In the Trim Healthy Mama the suggested size is 1 and 1/2 cups. 🙂
Do you think it would work to omit the oil and throw it all in a crockpot?
Yes, it should work just fine!!! 🙂
This recipe is AMAZING! My first time to cook lentils and the hubby won’t let me try them any other way!
It looks really good but if lentils are the only protein in this dish that seems a little low. Is it filling enough for an evening meal?
Lentil have 18 grams of protein for 1/2 a cup! That’s actually quite a bit! If you want, though, you can a good dollop of greek yogurt on it too! 🙂
Thanks so much for the suggestion.
You bet! 🙂
Can I use Chana Dal for this?
I think it would work… I’ve never used them before but there are almost the same thing, I believe!!
I don’t have lentils, but do have split peas. Could I sub the peas for lentils?
I think you probably could but I’ve never cooked split peas and you might need more protein in the Emeal! 🙂
I can only find green lentils, are those OK? The thm recipe calla for Brown.
I think they would work… I have never found green lentils but have use the orange & brown lentils.
The green lentils work fine. I use all three in different types of meals and with this recipe I chose to use green. I doubled the recipe, left out peppers (allergy)and zucchini ( none), added chopped collard green stems and chopped spinach. It is marvelous. I think with a salad and fresh bread for the family, it will do the trick. The spices were great! I even added a bit extra as we definitely love spicy food. Awsome and thrifty recipe!!
Awesome!!!
Would it be okay to have a serving if the bake at home Sprouted bread (the kind from walmart bakery) with this or is that too many carbs?
Yes, I believe that would be ok! 🙂
My husband isn’t a fan of meatless meals, but I LOVE lentils. Is there a meat you would recommend adding to this, even if it puts us in crossover territory?
Yep, you can add chicken breasts or Turkey Breasts!!
I look forward to trying this tomorrow! Being an E meal I will miss using pork hocks that I normally use, but I’m sure this will still have lots of flavor.
I have never heard of black powder? Could you enlighten me, please?
haha that should say “black pepper”. 🙂
Hi!
I’m making this soup right now…it smells delicious! I was wondering if I could add a can of diced tomatoes to the soup and it still be an E meal?
Thanks
Yes you sure can!!
I just checked my bag of split peas & in a dry half cup there are 32 net carbs & 22g protein! I don’t really have any other veggies at the moment but I’ll probably try this anyway with the seasonings & broth…At least we’ll have a warm supper for this unexpectedly cold day!
This is amazing! Best lentil soup ever. Only modification was I added 1 can rotel. The seasoning blend was perfect! This is definitely in the regular rotation now (doesn’t even matter if no one else eats lentil, lol, I’ll eat all of it for lunches.