Very Green Lentils Soup

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Very Green Lentils Soup

Very Green Lentils Soup

  • Author: Frankho Fresh
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
  • Yield: 8 Servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
  • 2 large yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
  • 2 tbsp plus 4 cups water, divided
  • 1 cup Green lentils or brown lentils
  • 8 large green chard leaves
  • 1 medium potato, scrubbed
  • 12 cuts gently packed spinach
  • 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 5 cups vegetable broth, store-brought or homemade
  • 2 cups chopped broccoli
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
  • Crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 35 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, rinse lentils and pick out any small stones; combine the lentils with the remaining 4 cups water in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard; chop the greens and slice the ribs (keep in separate piles). Cut potato into 1/2 -inch dice. Chop spinach; set aside.
  3. When the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, stir in the chard ribs, potato, scallions, broth and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt; return to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  4. Stir in the chard leaves, broccoli, cumin and coriander. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the soup. Return to a simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the reserved spinach, cilantro, mint, jalapeno and pepper; return to a simmer, cover and cook until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or pepper, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil and crumbled feta cheese.

Notes

Tip: Toast cumin seeds in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Grind to a fine powder in a spice mill, blender or clean coffee grinder.

To make ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Keywords: Green Lentil Recipe