HOME TOUR

A soup blog hop in the middle of winter? What could be better than some yummy soup recipes when it’s chilly out! Our family has been doing a more plant-based way of eating for awhile now. I have a masters in nutrition and worked for several years as a registered dietitian before having babies. Feeding myself and my little family has always been important to me. After years of cooking for myself, I remember being shocked as a newlywed at the amount of food my hubby consumed. He jokes now that he was hungry for a solid year after getting married.

Now with two little boys I’m facing more of those same hungry man bellies. Cade at 4 eats as many pancakes for breakfast as I do. It’s shocking. Boys. Soooo, what does that have to do with lentil soup? Well, a meatless soup that actually fills all these boys up–WIN. And I swear Kai actually likes it. Haha!

I searched Pinterest for a delicious lentil soup when it was starting to get cold this last fall and my hubby was sticking strong to a vegan diet. I found this one by Cookie and Kate and loved some aspects of it. I adapted it but she gets all the credit for the delicious use of a ton of olive oil.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 C Olive Oil

1 Medium Yellow Onion, chopped well

2 Carrots, peeled and chopped well

2 Stalks Celery, chopped well

1/2 C dried shiitake mushrooms, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Yellow Curry Powder

5-6 twigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)

2 large jars (14 oz) crushed tomatoes (I love the Jovial brand)

1 1/2 C green lentils

8 Cups Vegetable broth

1 tsp Salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 C Collard Greens or Kale chopped, tougher stems removed

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat 1/2 C olive oil in a large stock pan or dutch oven on the stove top. Chop all the vegetables and add to the stock pan. Cook until onions are becoming translucent and soft. I know 1/2 C of olive oil seems excessive but it adds a richness to this soup you won’t want to miss. Sometimes I add a splash more if needed, the vegetables should be swimming in that goodness. Add garlic and saute’ for a minute longer while stirring constantly to prevent excessive browning.

Add spices, salt, pepper and fresh thyme and cook for a minute more to warm the spices.

Add jars of crushed tomatoes, filling jars with a bit of vegetable stock and shaking to get all the tomato goodness into the pan. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add the vegetable stock, dried shiitake mushrooms, and lentils.

Now the good part, let it come to a boil and turn it down to a slow simmer. You want it to simmer for a good 30-40 minutes to really become thick and develop the flavor. It starts to smell so good and I’m impatient but this part is important. It gets better with time.

When ready, puree 3 cups of soup in a blender taking care to not burn yourself with the steam (I use a dishtowel over the lid) and then add the pureed soup back to the soup in the stock pot. This gives it a creaminess without having to add any dairy products like cream. If you have little kids that don’t like texture yet, fill their soup bowls with the pureed version and set aside to cool for the meal. My kiddos like to drink their soup with straws and I know they’re getting a ton of nutrition this way.

Serve up this delicious soup, topping with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of fresh thyme.

These delicious pictures were taken by my sweet friend Madison of Madison Rae Photography. It’s amazing her eye for capturing just about every detail of life, from food to gorgeous weddings. She’s a New England photographer so if you’re in need of some lovely pictures, she’s your gal.

SOME MORE GREAT SOUP IDEAS

Leslie from My 100 Year Old House has a delicious easy crockpot chili recipe. Yum!

And oh my goodness how delicious does Tauni from Tauni Everett’s eight can taco soup recipe look? Looks like heaven in a bowl to me!

Jennifer from Tatertots + Jello has a delicious Instant Pot recipe for her mom’s famous beef stew.

Rhonda’s creamy potato hamburger soup looks perfect for a snowy day!

And for all those seafood lovers, how yummy does Janine’s Seafood Stew look?!

I love a good lentil soup, try Ashley’s Vegan Red Lentil Soup.