All of the Nutrients Your Body Needs in One Bowl

The following post was originally featured on Eating Bird Food and written by Brittany Mullins, who is part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.

This flavorful roasted garlic lentil soup tastes like it’s been cooking all day, but cooks up in less than an hour.

What happened to spring? Last week I was ready to put all my coats away and pull out my shorts and then the weather went and got super chilly on us. So chilly that snow was actually on the forecast. Luckily we didn’t get any snow, but it was still pretty darn cold. Given the weather I figured I still have time to share one last soup recipe with you all before I bring on all the spring/summer fare.

I didn’t grow up eating lentils, but in my adult life I’ve found that I love them. They’re one of the quickest cooking beans and they’re loaded with protein, fiber, folate and iron. Plus I like their small size and versatility. There are so many different ways to prepare and eat lentils but one of my favorites has to be soup.

There’s actually a vegan lentil soup recipe on the menu at one of my favorite Greek restaurants in town called Stella’s. I typically order a big bowl of it as my meal with a salad on the side or convince Isaac to spilt a bowl with me if I’m ordering an entree. I’ve tried several times to make a lentil soup at home that tastes like Stella’s lentil soup and failed. My version has never had the same flavor… until now. And I think I figured out the key — roasted garlic and red wine vinegar.

By using a whole bulb of roasted garlic you get a lovely, robust garlic flavor and a hint of sweetness that permeates the whole soup. And the red wine vinegar simply brightens up the flavor of the soup. It’s kind of like salt. Whenever you feel like a dish is missing a little something, you tend to add salt, right? Well sometimes salt can do it, but other times you need something acidic like citrus juice or vinegar. In the case of this soup vinegar is the winner!

So if you’re in an area where spring hasn’t sprung just yet add this lentil soup to your weekly menu. I promise you won’t regret it.

Notes

This flavorful lentil soup with roasted garlic tastes like it’s been cooking all day, but actually cooks up in less than an hour.

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bulb roasted garlic (about 8-10 cloves), chopped*
1- 16oz bag dry French green or brown lentils
2 large (32 oz) containers of vegetable broth
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot, stirring frequently for 8-10 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add roasted garlic, lentils broth, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pot.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring every so often, for 45 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Ladle soup into bowls and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste or a splash of hot sauce/sriracha if you like a little spice.

Information

Category

Soups/Stews

Yield

Serves 6

Nutrition

Calories per serving

257