Lentil Soup: The Perfect Autumn Recipe
It’s officially that time of year again! The leaves are changing. The weather’s cooling. And, if you’re anything like me, the soup cooking is commencing.
Warm foods are always a must during the cooler seasons, and soups are no exception. To kick off fall, I’ve been looking for some healthy soup recipes to try with my family and share with all of you. Eating Well was a great aid in my search. Their website contains a plethora of amazing, nutritious soup recipes, including a particularly quick and easy recipe for lentil soup.
For those who are hypoglycemic like me or diabetic, lentil soup can be great for your diet. The legumes in the mixture help with blood stabilization and are heavy in healthy fibers. Eating Well’s recipe for Lentil Soup is also dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan, making it inclusive for people of all different diets and eating habits.
Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need to craft this delicious stew.
Ingredients
Chopped Ingredients
- Chopped Yellow Onion (1 cup)
- Chopped Orange Carrots (1 cup)
- Chopped Turnip (1 cup)
- Chopped Fresh Thyme (1 tablespoon)
- Radishes Chopped Into Matchsticks (3)
Sprinkled Ingredients
- Salt (3/4 tablespoon)
Pourable Ingredients
- Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (6 cups)
- Balsamic Vinegar (1 ½ tablespoons)
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil*
*Note: I highly recommend Kosterina Olive Oil for this recipe. I use their flavored olive oils in nearly everything I cook. They’re clean, pure, and come straight from the Mediterranean. If you’re interested, you can find them on the following website: https://www.kosterina.com/.
While the original recipe doesn’t state this, I’d also recommend trying out avocado oil instead of olive oil. It’s good for you, has a higher cook point, and taste exactly the same as olive oil. Costco sells some great, large bottles which you can find at https://chosenfoods.com/products/100-pure-avocado-oil-2lt-pet.
Other Ingredients
- Brown Lentils Rinsed (2 cups)
- Fresh Baby Spinach (5 cups)
- Flat-Leafed Parsley Leaves (1/4 cup)
Directions
Step 1
Before you begin cooking, you’re going to want to set your multicooker to the sauté setting. Then, you will turn the temperature to high and let your cooker preheat.
Add only one tablespoon of your oil (olive or avocado). Let the liquid simmer (the original recipe states that you should heat this ingredient until “shimmering”, though I interpreted that as “simmering”).
Then, once your oil is simmering, add in your thyme, onions, carrots, and turnip. You’ll want to cook these items and occasionally stir them until the onions are tender. This process should take approximately five minutes.
From here, you’ll stir in your lentils, broth, and salt.
Step 2
Hit the cancel button. Place your lid on the cooker and lock it. Your steam release handle should then be adjusted into the Sealing position.
Press the manual/pressure cook setting and then press high pressure and allow it to adjust for ten minutes.
Step 3
Once cooking is complete, carefully move your steam release handle to the venting position. Wait around five minutes for the steam to fully escape and then remove the lid.
Stir in your spinach and vinegar.
Step 4
Parsley and radishes should then be combined with the other tablespoon of oil (olive or avocado) in a small bowl.
Divide your soup into six even bowls and add the parsley/radish/oil mixture as a topping.
Additional Tips
Eating Well also states in the original recipe that you can prepare the soup through step three and then refrigerate it for a maximum of three days. You can freeze the mixture for up to six months, too. As long as you reheat the mixture on a stove or in the microwave and proceed with step four, you’re good to go!
Facts About Nutrition
Serving Size 1 1/4 cups
What Lentil Soup Contains
Calories: 305
Protein: 18g
Carbohydrates: 47.5g
Dietary Fiber: 17.7g
Fat: 5.5g
Saturated fat: 0.8g
Sources
https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/277566/instant-pot-lentil-soup/
