Now that the weather is cooling down, I regularly get the urge for a nice, steaming-hot bowl of soup. I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes (I just made a pot yesterday) and see if anyone else had some favorites they'd like to add.
This one is spicy, hearty, healthy, and filling. It's also vegetarian (if you leave out the chicken stock and use water or veggie stock), but it's so substantial, you don't miss the meat.
Curried Lentil and Spinach Soup
Makes 6-8 Main Course Servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 ½ cups Onion, Chopped
1 cup Celery, Chopped
1 cup Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 tablespoon Madras Curry Powder
1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, Minced
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Bay Leaf
¼ teaspoon dried, crushed Red Pepper
9 ½ cups (or more) Water (I substitute 4 cups of low-salt Chicken Broth for part of the water)
1 16-ounce bag Dried Lentils (about 2 ½ cups)
1 6-ounce bag Baby Spinach Leaves
½ cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
½ cup Plain Yogurt
Preparation
Heat oil in large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in curry powder, ginger, cumin, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Cook briefly until spices are fragrant. Add lentils and 9 ½ cups water/chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until lentils are tender (30 minutes to one hour; check lentils frequently for doneness.) Add additional water as needed, ½ cup at a time, if the soup gets too thick. (Optional: Transfer half of the soup to a large, heat-proof bowl and puree with an immersion blender. Return puree to the pot and reheat before adding spinach.) Add spinach and cilantro leaves. Simmer until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly-ground pepper.
(Can be made one day ahead. Chill soup uncovered, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm soup over medium heat, thinning with water if desired before serving.)
Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of yogurt.
Notes
I like spicy food, so I usually increase the amount of garlic, curry powder, cumin, and red pepper by about 50%.
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Anyone for Soup?
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