Lentil Soup

In all of the excitement of yesterday's debut of the Hungry Lightweight, I whipped up one of my favorite soups: lentil.

Oh lentils, you beautiful beautiful legume. An awesome protein source that is vegetarian and vegan friendly. Also this recipe is one of my favorites to make because it is pretty simple, tastes delicious, keeps well and makes my house smell amazing. During the semester, I would make a batch and then freeze extra servings in tupperware containers to take to work to reheat. The freeze and reheating process didn't diminish the taste of the soup which is great.

So I made this last night in a hurry before mother came back from work in order to make a proper mother's day dinner. She loved it and my step grandfather made a surprise visit and gobbled some down. I'm taking these as signs to the delicious nature of this soup.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients
1 stalk celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
1 1/4 cup lentils
4 cups broth, I normally use vegetable
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
2 handfulls of baby spinach, so about 2 cups
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, I sometimes add more if need be
1 tbsp. oregano/italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, over medium-high heat, heat the oil until simmering.
2. Add the diced celery, onion, and carrots to the pot and stir occasionally and allow the vegetables to soften for about 8-10 minutes.
3. Add in the minced garlic and oregano/italian seasoning and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, lentils, broth, bay leaves and vinegar into the pot.
5. Cover the pot and bring to simmer, which will take about 12-15 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to low and cover and allow for it to continue simmering for an additional 30 minutes or until the lentils have softened, stir occasionally.
7. Add in the spinach and stir it into the mixture until it has wilted.
8. Add any additional salt and pepper to suit your taste.

Nutritional Information (based off of six servings)

Calories 213, Total Fat 3.7g, Sodium 176mg, Carbohydrates 34.4g, Dietary Fiber 14.3g, Sugars 5.2g, Protein 11.8g