Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Winter Lentil Soup

I realize the name of this soup says "Winter," and I am really anxious for Spring, and indeed have some little flowers sprouting outside, but this soup sounded so good I just couldn't pass it up. I don't think you'll be able to pass it up either, it has a powerhouse healthy ingredient list, including kale, sweet potatoes and leeks! YUM.

The recipe comes from Real Simple, I received it in their Daily Recipe email. I don't have to tell you how much I love Real Simple, do I?


The leeks I got were huge, so I only used two of them. If you'd like to know a good way to clean those dirty things, check out my About Leeks post.


Just a note, it took me longer than 20 minutes to put this together. I'm not sure why, but plan for some extra time. Also, next time I will double the lentils. It's more vegetable than lentil, not that there's anything wrong with that, but the name is a bit misleading. I forgot the parmesan at the end...


Delicious and satisfying, and healthy with all the dark green leafy and dark orange vegetables. We will eat this soup a lot.



Winter Lentil Soup

Serves 6

Hands-on Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1hour

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 leeks (white and light green parts), cut into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
  • 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
  • 1/2 cup brown lentils
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce; optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, breaking them up with a spoon, for 5 minutes.

2. Add 6 cups water and bring to a boil. Stir in the sweet potatoes, kale, lentils, thyme, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Simmer until the lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Spoon into bowls and top with the Parmesan, if using.


Tip: Basic brown lentils retain their shape better during cooking than pricier red and yellow lentils, so they're terrific for soups. Or you can substitute green lentils, which taste slightly peppery.

2 comments:

Suzie Sew and So said...

I'm adding kale and leeks to my shopping list right now!

Indian Recipe Book said...

This soup seems to be very healthier as it include various green vegetables... Love this recipe and really wanna try thi snew flavour of soup...

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