For my part, a vivid and refreshing soup is the right technique to welcome spring, and this vegan Mediterranean Lentil Soup is the right comforting meal for the wet days to return. A wealthy and flavorful broth loaded with veggies, lentils, and kale will fill you up for pennies and is a superb recipe for fridge clear out day. End it off with a squeeze of lemon juice for a scrumptious and straightforward weeknight meal.
Why Make Mediterranean Lentil Soup?
The primary time I skilled cinnamon in a savory dish was whereas cooking at a Lebanese restaurant and it was life altering! This Mediterranean Lentil Soup is the right introduction to the savory use of cinnamon. This clear and flavorful lentil soup is a vegan taste explosion. It’s loaded with protein and fiber, naturally gluten-free, and tremendous versatile. You’ll be able to toss in nearly any veggie or inexperienced, so raid the fridge and get cooking!
Right here’s what you’ll have to make Mediterranean lentil soup:
- Oil: Olive oil is our most well-liked selection on this recipe for its Mediterranean taste profile, however vegetable or canola oil will work in a pinch.
- Mirepoix: A mixture of small diced yellow onion, carrots, and celery creates an earthy and candy base of taste for this soup.
- Garlic: The big items of crushed garlic versus mincing it advantageous is intentional to carry out the pure sweetness and taste of cooked garlic as an alternative of the sometimes-overwhelming chew it has when minced.
- Cumin: Provides a savory and nutty Mediterranean taste to this soup.
- Cinnamon: An ideal savory software of the spice! It’s going to heat you up from the within out and make your own home scent improbable.
- Lentils: We used brown lentils for his or her agency texture.
- Vegetable Broth: We used Vegetable flavored Higher Than Bouillon on this recipe. If utilizing one other model, make certain salt just isn’t the primary ingredient or it’s a waste of cash!
- Lemon Juice: Provides the soup a brightness that’s severely addictive. You need to use fresh-squeezed lemon juice and save half of your lemon for garnishing every bowl, or you need to use a bottled lemon juice. I all the time have lemons within the kitchen, so we had some to garnish with, too!
- Kale: Swiss chard, rainbow chard, spinach, escarole, and all styles of kale work nice, too.
- Salt and Pepper: Improve the pure flavors of the soup.
Which colour lentils are greatest for soup?
Brown or inexperienced lentils work greatest for this soup, as they are going to hold their form after cooking, which is what we’re searching for texture-wise. Pink lentils should not advisable as a result of they cook dinner faster and can dissolve into the soup as they cook dinner, making a thick and mushy texture.
Find out how to Retailer Leftovers
Retailer leftover Mediterranean lentil soup in an air-tight container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. This soup additionally freezes tremendous properly for as much as 3 months when saved correctly in an air-tight container. Let thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating in a pot set over medium-low warmth till warmed by way of.
Mediterranean Lentil Soup
This vegan Mediterranean Lentil Soup is vivid and refreshing. Completed with a squeeze of lemon, it is the right meal for wet spring days.
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- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 massive yellow onion, diced small ($0.78)
- 2 medium carrots, diced small ($0.24)
- 3 stalks celery, diced small ($0.36)
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed ($0.30)
- 2 tsp floor cumin ($0.20)
- 1 tsp cinnamon ($0.16)
- 1 cup raw brown or inexperienced lentils ($0.68)
- 8 cups vegetable broth ($1.44)
- 4 oz. lemon juice ($0.48)
- 3 cups kale, chopped and calmly packed ($2.48)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.10)
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Rinse the lentils in a strainer underneath chilly water till the water runs clear.
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Warmth the oil in a big soup pot set over medium-high warmth. Add within the onions, carrots, and celery and cook dinner till they change into tender, about 6-7 minutes, stirring steadily. Season with salt and pepper.
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Stir within the garlic, cumin, and cinnamon. Warmth till aromatic, about 60 seconds. Add the lentils to the pan and warmth for 1-2 minutes to barely toast.
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Pour within the vegetable broth, water, and lemon juice, then carry the pot to a boil. Scale back warmth to low and simmer till the lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes.
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Stir within the greens, season with further salt, pepper, and lemon juice to style earlier than serving.
See how we calculate recipe prices right here.
Serving: 1.5cupsEnergy: 185kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 9gFats: 5gSodium: 1452mgFiber: 11g
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the right way to make Mediterranean Lentil Soup – step-by-step images
Rinse 1 cup brown or inexperienced lentils in a strainer underneath chilly water till the water runs clear. Warmth 2 Tbsp olive oil in a big soup pot set over medium-high warmth. Add in 1 diced yellow onion, 2 diced medium carrots, and three diced stalks celery and cook dinner till they change into tender, about 6-7 minutes, stirring steadily. Season with 1 tsp salt and a couple of tsp pepper.
Stir in 5 crushed cloves garlic, 2 tsp floor cumin, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Warmth till aromatic, about 60 seconds. Add the lentils to the pan and warmth for 1-2 minutes to barely toast.
Pour in 8 cups vegetable broth and 4 oz. lemon juice, then carry the pot to a boil. Scale back warmth to low and simmer till the lentils are tender, about 30-45 minutes.
Stir in 3 cups chopped kale, season with further salt, pepper, and lemon juice to style earlier than serving.
This Mediterranean lentil soup goes to be your new favourite!
