Hearty Lentil Soup

Are you looking for some craving healthy dinner ideas that also taste like comfort food? Then just make a big pot of lentil soup. I know "healthy" and "comfort food" don't normally appear in the same sentence, but this soup is the exception. It's filled with protein-packed lentils, veggies, and scrumptious spices, but what I love most about this particular soup is that it's nice and thick, so it feels substantial and filling. To achieve the perfect consistency, you can remove a portion of the soup and then blend it in a blender until it's almost smooth before adding it back to the pot. 

Ingredients

✅3 tablespoons olive oil

✅3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 

✅1 medium onion, diced 

✅1 large celery stalk (about 2 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces 

✅Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

✅2 tablespoons tomato paste 

✅1 large clove of garlic, minced 

✅1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils 

✅4 cups vegetable stock 

✅7 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped (about 1 teaspoon leaves) 

✅1 bay leaf 

✅1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

✅1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

✅1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus the juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons) 

✅1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more for garnish, roughly chopped 

Directions

Step 1:

First, heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. After that, add the carrot, onion, celery, and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to caramelize and take on a dark brown color, 8 to 12 minutes (this step is important as it will add tons of flavor to your soup!).

Step 2:

Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook, scraping up the brown bits, until the garlic is fragrant and slightly softened, 2 minutes. Add in the lentils, stock, 4.5 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the lentils are softened with just a bit of bite, around 30 minutes.  

Step 3:

Remove the bay leaf. Put 2 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth, then stir back into the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Ladle into bowls and garnish with more parsley.