I haven’t cooked much in the last six months or so since both my parents passed away. I just haven’t been able to focus on anything and when I have tried to cook I seem to ruin the meal somehow. So when I was craving a healthy recipe I thought I would try this easy lentil soup recipe for my family.
Easy Lentil Soup Recipe
Well folks, this easy lentil soup recipe is one you can’t mess up. My mother-in-law usually makes Moroccan lentils that we scoop up with homemade crusty bread but I just can’t make lentils the same as she. The only caveat is that you have to cook the lentils long enough to be enjoyable. You cannot listen to recipes that tell you to cook lentils for 15 minutes. That just doesn’t work. Lentils should be soft and velvety smooth in your mouth, not crunchy.
According to Mind Body Green, lentils have the following benefits:
- Lower Cholesterol
- Heart Health
- Digestive Health
- Stabilized Blood Sugar
- Good Protein
- Increases Energy
- Weight Loss
My parents never cooked terribly healthy – my dad was a butcher for more than 30 years, after all! They tried, they really did, but their idea of eating healthy was making turkey burgers once a week and the occasional banana. My dad used so much butter when he was cooking. I really wish I had learned about health and nutrition sooner so maybe I could have prevented my mom’s cancer and my dad’s multiple organ failure at such young ages.
One thing I can do is make sure that I eat healthy so that I will be here for my kids – it’s never too late to change your eating habits!
Easy Hearty Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tsp vegetable oil canola oil, sunflower oil or any kind of cooking oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 carrot sliced
- 4 cups vegetable broth or use a combination of water and vegetable bouillon cubes
- 1 cup dry lentils you want regular brown lentils - NOT red lentils to make this soup!
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- dash salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp lemon juice optional, but delicious
Instructions
- In a large pot, sautee the onions and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions turn clear.
- Add the vegetable broth, lentils, thyme, bay leaves and a dash of sea salt or kosher salt and black pepper (you can always add more later when you taste the soup).
- Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook your soup until the lentils are soft, about 45 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves and stir in lemon juice before serving.
- The lemon juice is optional, but it just helps to bring out all the other flavors a bit more.
- Taste, and and season with a bit more salt and pepper to taste, or, serve as is and allow everyone to season as they prefer.
- Makes 4 servings of lentil soup.
Have you ever made lentils? What was your experience with them? You may also like Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils.
I am a New England mama of 3 kids, 3 kitties and 2 puppies! I grew up in the great state of NH and blog about all things healthy and natural near Nashua and Boston.
The recipe is great. I think we all need to eat healthy and think a bit more about our habits.
You’re right about eating healthy is one of the best ways to ensure you’re there for your kids in the future! With so much chemical and whatnot that’s put in food products today, the best way to ensure you’re not putting crap in your and your family’s bodies is to prepare healthy homecooked meals. This is why I never buy anything that’s canned, dehydrated, or preserved any more. If it comes in a packet or a can, it’s not going into my mouth.
The lentil soup recipe looks great by the way! I’m including it in my meal plan for next week!
I love any and all soups. Gotta try making this on my own.
Thanks for the recipe. I`ll make sure to use this.
Totally agree with you that we shouldn’t let our children eat all kinds of food products. Nothing is better and healthier than home cooked meals. In order to ensure the good health of our family members, we should develop a good eating habit from now on.
I haven’t tried lentils but I would love to try it soon, especially with all its great benefits.
After reading a lot of things about lentil, I started making some good recipes of lentils lately. It really tastes good and really healthy for the body.