Red Lentil, Zucchini & Couscous Soup

"Don't let the name turn you off! This soup has a nice thick consistency that is nice and flavorful. A perfect blend of vegetables, legumes and grains. I personally do not like the texture of couscous when eaten like rice or pasta yet I LOVE this soup! Leftovers freeze well. Recipe from "Meal Lean i Yum!""
 
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photo by danakscully64 photo by danakscully64
photo by danakscully64
photo by Annisette photo by Annisette
photo by Enjolinfam photo by Enjolinfam
photo by calliecat photo by calliecat
photo by calliecat photo by calliecat
Ready In:
1hr 20mins
Ingredients:
11
Serves:
8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Grate carrots and zucchini, set aside.
  • Heat oil in a 5 quart soup pot; add onions and celery; saute on medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden.
  • If vegetables begin to stick, add a tbsp or two of water.
  • Add all ingredients except couscous to the pot, increase to high heat to bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add couscous and simmer an additional 10 minutes.
  • If soup is too thick, thin it with a little bit of water.
  • Adjust seasonings to taste.
  • Yield 8 servings - per serving: 134cal, 1g fat, 8g protein, 24g carb, 3mg iron, 8g fibre.

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Reviews

  1. This recipe was very good! I didn't find it to be bland, but I made very tiny modifications. I used extra celery in place of some of the carrots (grating baby carrots takes too much patience), instead of regular vegetable broth, I used beef-style veg broth, and as suggested by LuckyDog, added a tiny bit of garlic powder. I only had whole wheat cous cous, so I used that as well. I will be making this again. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
     
  2. As some other reviewers said, I found this soup to be a bit bland, at first. I threw in some chopped fresh tomato, for color, and added the following to kick up the flavor a bit: garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice & a bit of curry powder. I never even added the cous cous because I realized I didn't have any. But, once I added the other spices, the soup was really good. My 4 & 3 year olds loved it - with lots of fresh bread to soak up the broth!
     
  3. What a lovely soup! It was so tasty I actually said Wow! after I tried it. I did make a couple modifications. I didn't have zucchini, so I added extra celery. Also I was worried there wasn't going to be enough flavor so I added 2 garlic cloves (to the recipe halved). The garlic probably wasn't necessary, but was really good in this. I also used beef broth instead of vegetable. I, like Annisette don't usually like celery, but even with the extra, since I diced it all really small and cooked it down with the onions, it was just in the background and added to the flavor.
     
  4. Excellent. I diced the carrots and zucchini and used chicken broth but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Made for my Nana's recovery from surgery and she loved it. Thanks for the keeper!
     
  5. Great healthy soup. Added lemon juice, cilantro, and curry. I used chicken broth too.
     
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Tweaks

  1. This recipe was very good! I didn't find it to be bland, but I made very tiny modifications. I used extra celery in place of some of the carrots (grating baby carrots takes too much patience), instead of regular vegetable broth, I used beef-style veg broth, and as suggested by LuckyDog, added a tiny bit of garlic powder. I only had whole wheat cous cous, so I used that as well. I will be making this again. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
     
  2. What a lovely soup! It was so tasty I actually said Wow! after I tried it. I did make a couple modifications. I didn't have zucchini, so I added extra celery. Also I was worried there wasn't going to be enough flavor so I added 2 garlic cloves (to the recipe halved). The garlic probably wasn't necessary, but was really good in this. I also used beef broth instead of vegetable. I, like Annisette don't usually like celery, but even with the extra, since I diced it all really small and cooked it down with the onions, it was just in the background and added to the flavor.
     
  3. This was terrific soup! Very delicious!! Used the vegetable broth option instead of the water and fresh fennel instead of celery (only because I don't care much for celery). Made for the ZWT4 CAFE ZMAAK Gypsies team!
     
  4. YUMMY! I love eating healthy soups and this was so delicious and different than soups I usually make! It's a balanced meal in a bowl with full of the vitamins and nutrients you need. :) I used fresh basil instead of dried and broth instead of water. We enjoyed this with some homemade bread. Thanks! Made for ZWT4 - Los Jefes de la Cocina.
     
  5. This soup was delicious; the couscous added a nice texture. I omitted the carrots and celery (I didn't have any on hand), and used dried parsley and oregano in place of the basil. I would definitely make this one again! :)
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Hi! Thanks for visiting my page! I just graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutritional Sciences in May 2008 after 5 years of hard work. My hard work paid off as I was accepted to a post graduate dietetic internship which I am currently completing and will be done in June. The internship allows me achieve professional designation as a registered dietitian. This is a very exciting but also a very busy time for me so I have not been contributing to zaar nearly as much as i'd like to. I have always loved baking and cooking and looking for healthier recipes or ways to make recipes healthier to fit into my lifestyle. I am pesco-vegetarian as I do not want animals to suffer for my consumption. I also love to be active in individual sports and train year round for triathlon. I am both an active racer and volunteer. The distance I prefer most is the Sprint distance - 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run. This upcoming race season marks my 16th year of participating in triathlon. I love it just as much, if not more, than I did 16 years ago!! I also have a newfound love for Iyengar yoga. I have a profound love for animals and the pretty little kitty you see as my icon is my 16 1/2 year old cat Snuggles. Sadly, Snug passed away in March 2006, and is dearly, dearly missed. Snuggles <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/tri_rules85/snuggles2VSM.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> The photo below of our two new family additions. Layla (the calico) came home with us from the Humane Society in September and Saxon (black and white) came home two months later as a companion for Layla. Gladly they have become very good pals. <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/tri_rules85/saxonandlaylasleepVSM.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/tri_rules85/zaargamestext.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/beartag_1_1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/adopted_1_1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"> <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/World%20Tour/ZWT2.gif"> Playing for: <img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/tri_rules85/kitchenexpeditionslogo.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/200_artistrichardneuman-art-prints_.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/untitled.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/pacbanner.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/200_PACpic.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Zaar%20World%20Tour%203/ZWT3-Participation.gif"> Playing for: <img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/tri_rules85/MixinVixensbannerSM.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/cookbook.php?bookid=177335 target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/RSC%20Banners/RSC9-LUV2Bake.jpg"></a> <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/cookbook.php?bookid=177334 target="_blank"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/RSC%20Banners/RSC10-LUV2Bake.jpg"></a> <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/RSC%20Banners/RSC11-LuvtoBake.jpg"> <img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/TasteofYellow.jpg"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/smPACp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/Other/photo-swap-7sticky.jpg"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PAC08Main.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <a href="http://www.amazingcounter.com"><img border="0" src="http://cb.amazingcounters.com/counter.php?i=2199213&c=6597952" alt="track net visits"></a> <a href="http://www.getisp.info/dsl-service.html">popup blockers</a>
 
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