Fight off winter blues with this healthy recipe of lentil soup

Soups become our staple food in the winter season! Dinner suddenly becomes all about a hot steaming bowl of soup filled with the goodness of vegetables. And why not? They are a healthy way to use the wide variety of seasonal vegetables available in winter. Also, not all soups have to be made in chicken broth. For all vegetarians and vegans, you need to try this lentil soup recipe which you can make at home in a jiffy.

Lentil soup is cheap and easy to make, yet an extremely healthy dinner option. Lentils help in giving the soup a creamy texture without having to use any kind of milk-based cream which makes it vegan as well as weight loss friendly.

The use of lentils and rice in this soup makes it a hearty meal which keeps you full for a longer time. Also, this bowl of soup has a very high nutritional value. Lentils offer protein, fibre, iron and folate. On the other hand, the vegetables used for the soup are packed with vitamins like vitamins A, C, B, etc.

How to make lentil soup at home?

Danielle Brown, who shares healthy vegan (plant-based) recipes on her Instagram handle, shared a healthy and scrumptious recipe of lentil soup. Let’s go through this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons (tbsp) of olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 1 cup diced coriander
• 5 cups veggie broth
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 cup cut up green beans
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) pepper
• 1 cup parsley
• 2 cups cooked brown lentils
• 2 cups cooked rice

Method:

Step 1

Add a tbsp of olive oil and sauté onions, celery and carrots in a large soup pot. Cook it for 5 minutes or until they lightly cooked.

Step 2

Once the vegetables are sauteed, add green beans, veggie broth, tomatoes, pepper, salt and parsley. Stir them well, cover it with a lid and cook on a low flame for 20 minutes.

Step 3

Add kale to the soup, and let it wilt for 2 minutes. At this point, you can blend all the vegetables if you like your soup to be smooth.

Step 4

After this, you need to add the cooked lentils and cooked rice. Stir it once. Bring it to a boil, then take it off the flame.

Step 5

You can transfer your soup to a bowl. Garnish it with some coriander and pepper, and serve it with your favourite crusty bread!