Lemon Turmeric Lentil Soup
This is our favorite lentil soup recipe. I make it whenever we need some healthy comfort food. It’s savory, satisfying, and utterly delicious. I like fresh lemon in this soup and serve it with slices of lemon. You don’t eat the lemon slices. They are there for more flavor and show lemon has been added to the soup.
PREP TIME: 10 min
COOK TIME: 50 min
TOTAL TIME: 1 hrs
6 to 8 Servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups (340g) brown or green lentils, picked and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onion (1 medium onion)
1 ½ cups chopped carrot (2 large carrots)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 heaping cups shredded kale or spinach
1 to 2 lemons
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs like parsley or dill, optional
Fine sea salt, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat the oil in a large pot (like a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and starting to smell sweet, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and turmeric, and cook for 30 seconds.
Stir in the lentils and broth. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Taste, then adjust with salt (we add between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon depending on how well-seasoned the broth is).
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the lentils are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
Uncover the pot, stir in the kale or spinach, and cook, uncovered, another 5 minutes.
Take the soup off the heat and stir in the juice of half a lemon and the fresh herbs. Taste the soup and season with additional salt and/or lemon juice. (I like quite a bit of lemon.)
Serve, or if you prefer the soup blended, use an immersion blender to blend until you achieve your desired consistency. For even more lemon flavor, serve with a few lemon slices.
For some extra flavor, cook bulk sausage or ham with the onions and carrots.
The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Sodium will vary depending on the broth used.
NUTRITIONAL INFO:
Serving Size 1/6 of the recipe / Calories 298 / Total Fat 5.5g / Saturated Fat 0.8g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 1155.9mg / Total Carbohydrate 45.3g / Dietary Fiber 8g / Total Sugars 5.2g / Protein 19.5g