Red lentil and Veggie Soup
Soup season is back! Although, I think thats a funny thing to say because we have soup on the hottest days of summer too! I love soup and I love having a pot of soup simmering on the stove, no matter what the season. This soup is one of my favourites for three reasons, its chock full of nutrition, its delicious and it takes only minutes to prep. The vegetables don’t need to be prepared in any special way, just chop ‘em up and throw ‘em in, the soup gets blended up at the end anyway. Another great thing about this soup is that you can change up the ingredients depending on what you have on hand.
This soup is great for a plant based meal. It delivers on nutrition too containing both iron and protein from the red lentils. To help bump up the absorption of the iron, I always throw in some tomatoes, which not only contain a hit of vitamin C to allow the iron to be better absorbed they also add flavour and where nutrition is concerned, lots of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
I serve this soup on nights when I need something quick and easy, but it never feels like I’ve just thrown a meal together. It also makes a great lunch for the next day. The kiddos like it with quinoa or brown rice added in and a melty grilled cheese on the side.
Red lentil and Veggie Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
8 cups water
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Prep all veggies and set aside
In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion until translucent, then add in all other vegetables and sauté for 2-4 minutes
Pour water into the pot, then add the red lentils
Give everything a good stir and bring the soup to a boil for 10 minutes
Reduce to a simmer and allow soup to simmer for an additional 30 minutes
Using an immersion blender (or pouring soup into a blender in batches) puree soup to desired texture
Season with salt and pepper