INGREDIENTS
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne (optional)
- 1 quart low sodium vegetable broth + 2 cups water
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
DIRECTIONS
- In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat until shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and ground cayenne (if using) and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
- Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partly cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup, then add it back to the pot. The soup should be somewhat chunky.
- Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and spinach and cook until spinach has wilted. Stir in cilantro.
VARIATIONS & TIPS
- If you do not have a blender or food processor, you can still enjoy the soup without completing that step.
- Consider serving over wholegrain brown rice or quinoa.
NUTRITION FACTS
YIELD: 4 servings
Calories: 294 cal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Fiber: 7.6g, Sugar: 7.9g (1g added sugar), Protein: 13.4g, Fat: 8.1g, Saturated fat: 1.1g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 291mg
SOURCE: Adapted from New York Times