Saturday, April 24, 2010

Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens


When my parents and siblings were here visiting from Utah, we all went to the Georgia Aquarium one day. My sister and her family were also down here, visiting from Washington, D.C., so it was quite a bunch of us checking out all the aquatic life.
It was really fun, but after a long day in Atlanta, we came home and were all a little tired.
I had planned on making this soup when my family was visiting anyway, so this night seemed like the perfect night to make a easy soup that would be ready fairly quickly.

I found green lentils at Earthfare,
(which is where I get all my bulk items like quinoa, lentils, steel-cut oats, bulgur, millet, couscous, specialty flours, dried fruits, nuts, nut butters and also some of my dairy and produce) so, I decided to use them in this soup since that is what Ellie calls for.

We all thought that green lentils tasted about the same as brown lentils, but they held their shape better, which gave them a little bit better texture.
I didn't have enough chicken broth in my pantry, so we also used about 6 cups of water, but it worked out fine. I also added the zest of an entire lemon since I believe that more zest is always a good thing. We probably used more kale than called for too. We just kept on tearing it up and dumping it in the pot without measuring it.

The fresh lemon juice and lemon zest really brightened up this soup and added a little extra something to it.

This soup was the perfect way to finish a long day. We had Kale Chips and Cheese Toast on the side.

Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens
from So Easy by Ellie Krieger
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 small onion, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed

16 ounces green lentils

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups kale leaves, chopped

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated

Heat the oil in a large 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. Add 12 cups of broth, lentils, basil, thyme and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add the kale (spinach) and cook until lentils are tender, 30 to 35 minutes, adding more broth if necessary. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, and serve.


4 comments:

Mumsy said...

I made a soup like this last night and it was soooooo yummy. Everything was the same, except no chicken broth, I added barley and sweet potatoes, and instead of lemon juice, we used balsamic vinegar. Mmm...I have you to thank for introducing me to how delish leafy greens are.

Chef Aimee said...

Oh wow this is such a great recipe - lemon adds so much flavor to a dish.

Sook said...

Sounds like a great, healthy soup!

Ashley said...

i've been following this blog for a long time because i fell in love with your recipes. i finally grew the courage to try one, and i made this soup and it was delicious! i used spinach instead of kale, because i couldnt find it at my local supermarket. i also added a bit of extra lemon juice because my boyfriend loves lemon. my last change was using brown lentils instead of green because i did not see them in the dried bean section. this was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! i really loved it and it was the perfect soup to subside my soup craving. thanks a million! =)