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Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Seasonal Greens

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Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Seasonal Greens www.savingdessert.com

Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Seasonal Greens – a delicious, hearty and rustic soup with vegetables simmered in a rich flavorful broth with wilted seasonal greens & lentils

This is what I crave lately … a hearty rustic soup loaded with vegetables simmered in a rich flavorful broth with wilted seasonal greens and lentils.  There are so many varieties of lentils available but this French variety (I used Bob’s Red Mill) hold their shape amazingly well.  Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse full of fiber and protein and boast an impressive amount of folate, iron, phosphorus and potassium.  Lentils make a great addition to most any soup, chili, and even salads.

 

Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Seasonal Greens www.savingdessert.com

While we (sadly) try to avoid bacon and other processed meats, I do miss the smokey flavor it adds to a vegetable dish.  Did you know Smoked Paprika is a great spice substitute for smokey bacon flavor?  This delicious Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Seasonal Greens is proof that you don’t have add meat or give up flavor to eat healthy.  A pinch of cayenne rounds out the broth so no need for lots of salt.

 

Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Seasonal Greens www.savingdessert.com

Serve with a hearty rustic loaf of whole grain bread for the perfect winter meal.

 

 

Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Seasonal Greens www.savingdessert.com

 

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Vegetable Soup with Lentils & Seasonal Greens - A hearty rustic soup w/vegetables simmered in a rich flavorful broth with wilted seasonal greens & lentils www.savingdessert.com

 

5 from 14 votes

Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Seasonal Greens

Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Yield: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Author: Tricia
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A delicious, hearty and rustic soup with vegetables simmered in a rich flavorful broth with wilted seasonal greens & lentils

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small sweet onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 small leek cleaned and sliced (white and light green parts only)
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 4 medium carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup butternut squash chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (*see notes)
  • ¾ cup French lentils rinsed and drained
  • 32 ounces low-sodium vegetable broth or stock
  • 14 ounce no-salt chopped canned tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 pound baby Bok Choy greens cut as a chiffonade, white parts added with the carrots and other vegetables (*see notes)
  • ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Drizzle the olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven with a heavy bottom. Heat on medium until hot. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant about 1 minute.
  • Add the leeks, celery, carrots, butternut squash, white portions of the Bok Choy and the lentils. Stir gently to coat all vegetables in the olive oil then add the vegetable stock and chopped tomatoes. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and gently simmer for about 15 minutes.
  • Add the tomato paste, chopped greens, parsley and thyme. Heat until the greens are just tender.
  • Garnish with fresh parsley and black pepper. Serve with a hearty whole grain bread if desired.

Recipe Notes

  • Substitute rutabaga or turnips for the butternut squash.
  • Use any seasonal greens such as Swiss Chard, kale, Cabbage or spinach in place of the Bok Choy if desired.
  • Be sure to cut vegetables about the same size so they will all cook evenly.

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 532mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 13700IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 4mg

All the decorations are packed away for another year.  The cold weather has finally come to Virginia so it’s starting to feel more like winter.  We were downtown yesterday and saw a Forsythia bush in bloom.  They are always the first to bring flowers in spring but I’m afraid they will freeze this week.  It felt like spring for a while 🙂  Hope you have a wonderful New Year!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

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48 Comments

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Debbie – If you are trying to make the soup ahead of time, I would omit the greens, and add the just before serving. I think leftovers will freeze just fine, but I haven’t tested freezing this soup. We always end up eating it until its gone. Thanks – hope you enjoy!

      reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Thank you Joy! Adding more butternut squash sounds like a great idea and I adore thyme – so I’ll have to try that too! Thanks again for the feedback. I adore this soup and so happy you liked it to. Have a wonderful holiday season and Happy Thanksgiving!

      reply to this comment >

  4. Marisol says

    5 stars
    I just made this today and it was absolutely amazing!!!! I was bad and added bacon as well as avocado. I doubled the recipe to have plenty of leftovers. Will definitely be making this again 🙂

    reply to this comment >

  5. Jeffrey says

    5 stars
    This soup is knockout! I’m a beginner cook – just finished class #2/3 of “Beginners Cooking Boot Camp” – and this seemed worth a try, lots of things to do. Glad my instructor taught be how to chiffonade.

    I did everything as directed except extend simmering time to get the vegs a little stew-like. This is now one of my g0-to recipes. Thank you so much!

    reply to this comment >

  13. Becky Green says

    This soup looks SCRUMPTIOUS, Tricia!!! I think I’ll be making soup for dinner tonight! Soup REALLY DOES satisfy on a cold winters night, with a rustic loaf of bread! 😉 I understand what you mean about the weather….we got snow this morning! BRRRR!!! STAY WARM!!! 😉

    reply to this comment >

  15. Monica says

    A great start to 2016, Tricia! That is one bountiful, hearty, beautiful bowl of soup. It is finally cold here, too! I wasn’t complaining but this does feel a bit more normal this way even if I’m freezing. Hope you had a nice NYE evening out…and here’s to a great new year!

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  21. Wendy says

    I think sometimes our cravings (probably not the chocolate/brownie ones) tell us what our body needs. This soup is exactly what I crave after days and days of rain and cold here in St. Louis! A beautiful bowl of warmth and flavor! I have several bags of lentils in the cabinet waiting to be part of this soup.

    reply to this comment >

  23. Chris Scheuer says

    Yum, his looks so good Tricia! I love all the beautiful veggies. Our daffodils are starting to peek up after the two weeks of unseasonably warm weather (sad) but now it’s really cold and this soup would be fantastic for lunch or dinner! Don’t tell anyone but I’d even enjoy it for breakfast!

    reply to this comment >

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