Ellie's Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens

For all you go-getter-New Years-resolution-people who happened to be clogging up the gym tonight at 6pm, here's an uber healthy meal that I made not while trying to be healthy, but because I was cold.

Alas! Lucky me, it also happened to be quite a hearty meal and left me with a bead of sweat on my nose when dinner was finished. Chock full of goodies, this soup packs 30g of protein per 2 cup serving and gobs of iron from the lentils. Add in some carrots, kale and celery and you've got yourself a vitamin packed power meal.

I was initially skeptical of this recipe because I gravitate towards thick soups, not broth based soups, and let me tell you this guy uses a lot of broth - 12 cups to be exact! However, the hint of lemon gives the soup a lift and brings out a good flavor. Tastes are sometimes hard to change though, and I think next time I'll experiment with smashing some beans or lentil to make the soup a little thicker. All in all this was a good soup that I'll make again.


Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens
adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week
(definitely one of my new favorite cookbooks!)
2 tsp canola or olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz green lentils
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
8 cups chopped kale leaves (about 6 oz)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1. Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium- high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add 12 cups of the broth, the lentils, basil, thyme, garlic salt and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the kale, and cook until the lentils are tender, 30 to 35 minutes, adding more broth if necessary. Stir occasionally while simmering. When finished, stir in the lemon juice and zest and serve.