Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large yeliow onions, chopped
- 11/4 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons plus 4 cups water, divided
- 1 cup French green (Le Puy) or brown lentils
- 8 large green chard leaves
- 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, scrubbed (or other potato)
- 12 cups gently packed spinach (about 10 ounces)
- 4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground (or 2 tsp ground cumin)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- Crumbled feta cheese for garnish
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Deep Green Lentil Soup with Caramelized Onions
Time: 15 minutes prep, 1 hours cook
Servings: 8
Directions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse lentils and combine the lentils with the remaining 4 cups water in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce
- heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard; chop the greens and slice the ribs (keep in separate piles). Cut potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Chop spinach and set aside.
- When the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, stir in the chard ribs, potato, scallions, broth and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt; return to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the chard leaves, broccoli, cumin and coriander. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them and add them to the soup.
- Return to a simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the reserved spinach, cilantro, mint, jalapeno and pepper; return to a simmer, cover and cook until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or pepper, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil and crumbled feta cheese.
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Summary
This rich collection of greens, lentils, cumin and coriander makes a. hearty Fall or Winter soup with layers of flavor. Both French green lentils and more commonly available brown lentils are delicious in this soup. The French green lentils hold their shape better when cooked, while brown lentils may start to break down a bit. Feel free to substitute different greens to your own taste. This soup was as good if not better for two to three days after we first had it. We adapted this from a recipe in Eating Well magazine. Enjoy!
Reviews
February 2, 2012
I made this soup and it looks really ugly....BUT it is delicious and super yummy! This will definitely be a regular on my dinner rotation. If you want a lot of greens, this is your ticket!!!1 replyI've cooked/tasted this recipe!
Comments
October 25, 2011This looks like a recipe I can easily adapt to suit the needs of a person with many food allergies.1 reply
October 12, 2011I love the combination of greens, lentils, and wonderful spices in this vegetarian soup recipe. Sounds like a winner to me.
October 11, 2011This dish looks delicious! I have a bag of lentils and have been trying to think of something different to do with them, thanks!1 reply
Pam.
October 11, 2011This sounds delicious and healthy. So nice to have a new soup recipe--thanks!1 reply
