Where I live, welcoming the new year also rings in the coldest calendar months, and in this start to 2021 nothing is more satisfying to me than a warm and hearty bowl of comfort! There is something special about sitting down with a steaming bowl of flavorful soup on a chilly day, and it’s a perfect and easy way to have a nutritious and colorful bite just when you really crave one. I’m excited to share with you my favorite lentil soup so that you, too can experience that “hug-in-a-bowl” feeling that salvages even the coldest winter days in my home.
Assembling my hearty lentil soup couldn’t be more simple and straightforward. When the hardest part of the job is chopping up a few veggies and then waiting for it to basically cook itself, you can always sign me up for that! ? Maybe the best aspect of my lentil soup is that it’s composed of readily available clean ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your fridge or pantry.
Nothing says warmth and comfort to me more than a steaming pot of hearty soup on the stove. Even if all I am doing is warming it up, the woodsy smells of my lentil soup permeate the house and always calm me down. My lentil soup is so colorful, delicious and satisfying that I make a pot in my home nearly every week of the winter! The fact that it is endlessly nutritious is just a little bonus. ?
My favorite part of photographing delicious food is when I can literally taste it through the picture. ? ? Pairing all of these warm and hearty vegetables with a toasted wedge of your favorite bread provides a perfect full winter meal experience.
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cup brown lentils rinsed
- 1 pc bay leaf
- 1 tsp thyme
- Small handful of parsley chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté until translucent, approximately 3-5 minutes
- Add the garlic, carrots and celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes
- Add the broth, lentils, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low heat until lentils are tender, approximately 30–40 minutes
- Stir in chopped parsley, remove the bay leaf before serving and enjoy
