Easy Lentil Soup

With Fall just around the corner I’ve been wanting soup more and more often. The the leaves are ALREADY starting to change colors and the air is starting to crisp up a bit. Before you know it we’ll be thinking of jackets, boots and cute scarves. Oh yeah, and soup! This lentil soup is my favorite! It’s so easy to prepare and uses simple ingredients nearly anyone will find in their fridge and cupboard.

The first thing you need of course are these here lentils. Isn’t this jar cute? My mom helped me with it. I found some jars at Hobby Lobby for super cheap and wanted to put my cupboard grains and seeds in them. My mom at The Vinyl Express  made these cute decals to put on the front of all of my jars: Lentils, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Popcorn, and Granola. You can see the Quinoa jar in THIS post. I love them. I think they turned out really cute. Head to her shop to see what you can put on your containers, walls, tiles, picture frames and even cars!

Anyway, back to the Lentils. Yes, you need these. They are kind of an important part of the soup. 😉 They are super cheap at the grocery store. I think to fill this jar it took 2 small bags and the bags cost $0.79 each. Yep…pretty cheap, and they are so good for you too! Lentils are full of fiber, protein, iron, potassium and folate. They also contain virtually zero fat. They aide in having a healthy heart, digestive tract, and also decrease the risk of diabetes and some cancers. Lentils are so good! So, if I haven’t convinced you already, you should make this soup. Like, tonight!

Here are the main ingredients.

Lentils

Beef broth

1 can of petite diced tomatoes

Chopped onion, carrots, garlic and celery

Baby spinach

Red wine vinegar

The only ingredient not shown is celery. I usually put chopped celery in my soup. I love it, but it’s fine without it too.

So here’s what you do. First you’re going to put your lentils into a strainer. I like using a mesh strainer like this one. Rinse your lentils, making sure to get all the dust and debris off, then set aside. Next, chop your veggies (onion, carrots, celery and garlic). Heat a little bit of olive or avocado oil in your sauce pan and set the heat to medium high. Once the oil is heated add the onion, carrots, and celery. Place the lid over the pan and let them steam for a bit so they can soften (about 3 minutes). Take the lid off and add the garlic, stir to combine and replace the lid over the pan. Cook for another minute.

Next add the broth, tomatoes, lentils and some salt and pepper. Stir to combine and replace the lid bringing the soup to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down to medium low and let it simmer for 20 minutes are until the lentils and vegetables are tender.

Once they are tender, and right before serving add in red wine vinegar and the spinach. Stir the spinach around until all the leaves are wilted. Add some more salt and pepper if needed, and serve it warm. 🙂 It’s as simple as that. Here’s to some warm tummies and happy hearts.