Tuesday, January 5, 2010

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.

Lemony Lentil Soup with GreensAlas! 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!)
Ellie Krieger Cookbook
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.

11 comments:

grace said...

30 g of protein AND warmth? that's a win-win recipe right there, especially as i sit here and watch the snow blow by. excellent soup, sharon!

Leslie said...

Oh God..that soup would give me some serious Gas! lol

pigpigscorner said...

Great recipe! Healthy and comforting!

noble pig said...

Very healthy way to start the year!

kat said...

Oh that sounds like a good one & I think I have everything in the house to make it. How many servings to you get our of your 12 cups of broth

Sharon said...

Hey Kat, the recipe says it serves 6. I will say that it makes a huge stockpot worth and despite all the broth, it does thicken a bit once the lentils cook.

Maria said...

I posted a healthy soup today too. I am making this one next:)

La Bella Cooks said...

This looks amazingly healthy and definitely worth a try! Happy New Year to you, Sharon.

Cate O'Malley said...

A bowl of that soup sounds about perfect right now - yum!

Chef Fresco said...

I usually like thicker soups too - this sounds good though! and p.s. those January gym people are clogging up my Y as well!

hope chests said...

I have been seeing lots of soups lately and I am starting to drool over them. Great dish! Thanks for sharing.