Lentil- Vegetable Soup

White Rose Child's Note:

My family enjoys this so much on cool nights. It's simple and comforting, with earthy flavors. Serve with a healthy bread for dunking!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 7 -8 cups sodium-free vegetable stock
• 1 cup red lentil
• 4 -5 cups swiss chard , washed and chopped
• 2 medium potatoes , cubed (peel if desired)
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 large carrot , chopped
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 3 -4 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 cups mushrooms , sliced
• 156 ml no-added-salt tomato paste (1 small can)
• 2 ½ teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
• ¼-½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 -4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients EXCEPT lemon juice in a large pot; stir well so the lentils don't stick to the bottom and burn. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook, covered, 45 minutes.
3. Stir in lemon juice and serve with bread; or,.
4. For a thick and warming stew, stir a few spoonfuls of a leftover cooked grain into each bowl before serving: wild rice, brown rice and millet are all good options. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Chef #512614]

I left out the swiss chard entirely and loved this recipe. Excellent soup for a cool evening or, if you're like me, nursing a cold.

[Andy #3]

This is just great. Maybe I used a little more vegetables than I was supposed to, but the full recipe needs a huuuuuuuuge pot to fit comfortably. The gallon pot I used was almost overflowing... Anyway, it tastes amazing - the lentils give it real body. Mine ended up quite stew-like. Wish I could have found sodium-free veg stock, though... I used regular and omitted the salt instead.