Whenever I make lentil soup I think to myself ¨I should make this more often! Like maybe once a week.¨ Lentil soup is so healthy and the ingredients are inexpensive. There is just a little bit of prep work, and then you let it simmer for less than an hour and it’s ready to eat. My kids love it. It doesn’t thrill my husband, but he still eats it.
So to mix things up from our traditional LENTIL SOUP, tonight I made curried lentil soup. I was hesitant to do this because I tend to have bad luck with adding spices to soups.
But I followed the recipe almost exactly.
This curried lentil soup wasn’t too spicy (coming from someone who prefers more mild foods), but a lot of the ingredients are great for circulation. Onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, ginger, and curry powder.
Enjoy this warm soup with a slice of buttered whole wheat bread on the side.
Curried Lentil Soup Recipe
- 1 or 1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 Tbsp. fresh (or frozen) ginger, minced
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. curry powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 C. dry lentils (picked through and rinsed)
- 8 C. chicken broth (I used 4 C. of regular and 4 C. of reduced sodium broth)
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 3-4 Tbsp. chopped curly parsley
- optional: garnish with chopped cilantro
Instructions:
- Heat oil to medium heat in large ps. t.
- Saute the onions for about 3-5 minutes, or until tender.
- Add garlic, jalapeno, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and curry powder. Stir for about 5 more minutes.
- Add lentils and chicken broth. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low/medium, and let simmer (covered partially with a lid) for about 40-55 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Stir occasionally, about every 10-15 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro.
*Inspired by THIS recipe.