Tori Avey’s Lemon Lentil Spinach Soup – Healthy and Flavorful

This Lentil Spinach Soup with Lemon is a quick and easy one-pot vegetarian meal that is full of unexpected flavor. It’s light, nutritious and satisfying with lots of fiber. Serve it over rice for a complete vegan protein. What’s not to love?

The winter holidays are loaded with culinary temptations. From party cocktails to comfort food to dessert platters, we’re indulging like there’s no tomorrow. Around this time of year I often feel the need to clean up my diet a bit. My energy level becomes low; I feel sluggish. Last winter I came across Melissa Clark’s recipe for Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and it seemed just the ticket. Using the ingredients I had on hand, I made my own version of this popular soup. The result was a perfect combination of healthy and tasty.

Since last year I have made this soup repeatedly, refining it to suit my taste– using brown lentils, less stock for a thicker soup, and wilting in lots of healthy greens. The result is a simple stew-like lentil soup, richly flavored and full of vitamins. The lemon gives it an unexpected brightness that just sings. My husband, who tends to think lentil soup is boring, was pleasantly surprised. “So much flavor! And it tastes healthy, in a good way.”

Suffice it to say, this has become one of our winter staple meals. It’s so easy to throw together. I’ve thickened the broth so it’s halfway between a soup and a stew; pour it over white or brown rice for a complete protein and a heartier meal. Enjoy!

Recommended Products:

Large Soup Pot

Immersion Blender

Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers

Lentil Spinach Soup with Lemon

A light, healthy and flavorful take on lentil soup with spices, greens and fresh lemon juice.

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COURSE: Soup

Kosher Key: Parve

Servings: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 1 whole carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 quart low sodium vegetable stock (if not vegetarian, you can substitute chicken stock)
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups brown, green or red lentils, rinsed and sorted
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves (or substitute kale, swiss chard, or another favorite green)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or can substitute parsley-- I prefer the flavor of cilantro here)
• 1 whole lemon

NOTES

You will also need: soup pot, immersion blender, lemon squeezer

Instructions

• Heat up the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and carrot. Sauté until the onion softens and starts to turn golden. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes longer until fragrant.

  Add the tomato paste, cumin, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
  
• Add the vegetable stock, water, lentils and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer then cover the pot, slightly vented. Let the soup cook for about 30 minutes until the lentils are soft.
  
• Remove soup from heat, remove the bay leaf and discard. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup halfway, so that it thickens but still has texture.

  Put soup over medium heat again. Add the fresh spinach leaves and cilantro. Stir the greens into the soup for 1-2 minutes until just wilted (covering the pot will wilt them faster).
  
• Turn off the heat and stir in fresh lemon juice to taste. Adjust seasonings if desired, and serve.
  

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Lentil Spinach Soup with Lemon

Amount Per Serving

Calories 354 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 414mg18%

Potassium 914mg26%

Carbohydrates 41g14%

Fiber 18g75%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 1645IU33%

Vitamin C 8.3mg10%

Calcium 65mg7%

Iron 6.1mg34%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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