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Lentil soup - a bright meal to warm you up!
By Siobhan Miller
Public Health Nutrition Advisor, Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service
- Jack enjoys his hearty lentil soup.
This is probably one of the quickest and easiest soups to make. It really warms and fills you up!
Serves 6
Time to make
15 minutes preparation
45 minutes to cook
Cost
Approximately $6
Ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- 60ml (two tablespoons) olive oil
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and diced into small pieces
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 385g dry red lentils
- 8 cups water
- A few leaves of spinach or silverbeet, rinsed and thinly sliced
- 3-4 basil leaves torn into pieces (optional)
- 1/2teaspoon dried thyme or oregano (optional)
- 30ml (two tablespoons) vinegar
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- In a large soup pot, heat oil over a medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery.
- Cook and stir until onion is tender.
- Stir in garlic and basil, and cook for two minutes.
- Stir in lentils and add tomatoes and water.
- Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and simmer for 45 minutes.
- When ready to serve, stir in the spinach or silver beet leaves and cook until they wilt.
- Stir in vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with warm wholemeal bread or rolls.
Tips
- Lentils make a good store cupboard item. They can be added to soups, stews and casseroles. Experiment with different types of lentils.
- Lentil soup can thicken after cooking. To thin it down, just add a little water until you get your desired consistency.
- Lentil soup freezes really well. Place cold soup in a plastic container or sealable plastic bag. Remember to label it!
What are lentils?
The plant originated in the Near East and has been part of the human diet for more than 10,000 years.
With 26% protein, lentils have the third highest level of protein from any plant-based food, making it an important food, especially for vegetarians.
Lentils range in colour from yellow to red-orange to green, brown and black, red, white and yellow! Lentils are a good source of fibre, calcium, phosphorous, B vitamins and iron. This makes them an important part of a vegetarian diet and useful for preventing iron deficiency. Iron is particularly important for adolescents and pregnant women, who require larger amounts.
Most lentils need to be soaked overnight, but this recipe uses common red lentils, which don't need to be soaked.
