Can you make this soup with green lentils?

You can cook this soup with green lentils. Just note that it will likely be more broth based and not get slightly thicker with cooking. To match the cook time for green lentils, make sure to cook them for 15 minutes to make sure they are tender. If you need more broth, you can also adjust and add more in if you feel your lentils absorb too much liquid.

Is red lentil soup healthy?

Red lentils provide protein, fiber, potassium, folate, iron and manganese. These nutrients help to support our daily activity and can help reduce chronic disease risk. Thankfully, because this soup also includes a lot of vegetables, these vegetables in conjunction with the lentils provides a great deal of nutrient and antioxidant power to make this a powerhouse soup.

Can I make this red lentil soup ahead of time?

This soup is perfect for meal prep. Once you've made your soup, allow to cool and then place in airtight storage containers that you can store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also store in the freezer for up to a month.

Can this be made in a crockpot?

You can add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours to cook the lentils and vegetables through. For flavor, you can follow the suggested sautéing instructions to make your spices fragrant on the stove top, then add them to the crockpot with your vegetables, lentils and broth. If you'd like to skip that step, adjust seasonings to taste by adding more herbs and spices based on your preference.

How do you make this in the Instant Pot?

To cook in the instant pot, follow the sautéing steps using the sauté button on the pressure cooker. Add your remaining ingredients and then lock and "seal" your pressure cooker appropriately. Set your machine to high pressure for 8 minutes. Once the 8 minutes have passed, leave to naturally pressure release for 10 minutes. You can then carefully open the vent at the top to release the remaining pressure so you can remove the cover of the pressure cooker. While the soup is still hot, stir in your spinach and add a squeeze of lemon, then stir well until the greens have completely wilted.

Sweet Potato Red Lentil Soup

Name: Sweet Potato Red Lentil Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tsp olive oil; 1 small yellow onion, diced; 2 stalks of celery, diced; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional); 5 cloves of garlic, finely minced; 1 inch ginger, finely minced; 1 tsp dry oregano; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning or your favorite seasoning salt; 1/2 tsp turmeric; 1 medium sweet potato, cut into small cubes; 2 cups cauliflower florets, golf ball sized; 1 1/2 cups dry red lentils, rinsed well; 4 cups vegetable broth; 2 cups water; Handful of spinach; Juice of half a lemon

Description

This spiced and herby Sweet Potato Red Lentil Soup recipe delivers a great deal of comfort and warmth with nourishing ingredients. Satisfying, light and easy to make with simple ingredients.

Ingredients

Scale

2 tsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 inch ginger, finely minced
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning or your favorite seasoning salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 medium sweet potato, cut into small cubes
2 cups cauliflower florets, golf ball sized
1 1/2 cups dry red lentils, rinsed well
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
Handful of spinach
Juice of half a lemon

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Instructions

Heat up your oil in a large pot and add in your onions, celery, and red peppers along with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes if you desire. Sauté your veggies until your onions have softened and become translucent.
Add in your minced garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant.
Stir in your spices and herbs, and sauté for an additional minute.
Add your sweet potato and cauliflower and stir well to coat in the spices.
Pour in your lentils, vegetable broth and water, and give everything a big stir. Taste the broth at this stage and season with an additional pinch of salt if needed. Allow the soup to come to a boil, then reduce to a rolling simmer and cook uncovered for about 13 minutes.
At the end, remove your pot from the heat and throw in your spinach, stirring into the soup until it wilts. Finally, squeeze over your lemon juice and adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Notes

Don’t swap the red lentils for green lentils. Green lentils require different cooking time and will also impact the consistency of the intended soup since they hold their shape better during cooking.

Make sure to layer on your ingredients. The order in which we add ingredients plays a part in how the soup tastes in the end. Sautéing your aromatics with oil helps to release the flavors better and enhance the flavor of the overall dish.

Crock Pot Instructions: You can add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours to cook the lentils and vegetables through. For flavor, you can follow the suggested sautéing instructions to make your spices fragrant, then add them to the crockpot with your vegetables, lentils and broth. If you’d like to skip that step, adjust seasonings to taste by adding more herbs and spices based on your preference.

Instant Pot Instructions: To cook in the instant pot, follow the sautéing steps above using the sauté button on the pressure cooker. Add your remaining ingredients and then lock and “seal” your pressure cooker. Set your machine to high pressure for 8 minutes. Once the 8 minutes have passed, leave to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. You can then carefully open the vent at the top to release the remaining pressure. Stir in your spinach and add a squeeze of lemon, then stir well until the greens have completely wilted.