I cooked a big pot of green lentils, made a delicious salad out of it but was kind of bored eating it as a salad again the next day. So I thought soup and found a perfect clean-out-your-fridge type recipe from Kitchn! I simplified the recipe and improvised based on the veggie scraps I had in the fridge at the time. You really can't go wrong with it!
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2-inch to 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups cooked green lentils*
- Chopped vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, leafy greens, etc.)
- 4 to 6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
- 1 (28oz.) can crushed tomatoes
Method:
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and saute onion for a few minutes. Add garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir to coat.
- Add ginger, pepper flakes, bay leaves, lentils.
- Add hard or medium vegetables like carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli florets or squash. Pour in crushed tomatoes and stock. Depending on the amount of cooked lentils and veggies you have on hand, adjust the amount of liquid so it's enough to cover the lentils and veggies. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, then lower to medium-low heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add leafy greens if desired. If soup needs more liquid, stir in more stock. (It should look like thick soup, but not like a chili.) Add a splash of vinegar, salt, pepper and any additional seasoing to taste. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve.
If you do not have cooked lentils, simply use more stock and cook the dried green lentils for an extra 15-20 minutes, until they are cooked through but not falling apart. Learn how to make a big pot of green lentils here.