One of my favorite childhood meals was my mother’s lentil soup. I can still remember how rich and meaty it tasted, and how I devoured it in big heaping spoonfulls until I couldn’t eat another bite. I knew I was in store for a treat when she would drag out the big red pot and the smell of beef broth started filling the house.
As an adult, I’ve been trying to find healthy soups with my boyfriend Nathaniel as part of our fitness strategy. Soup is great because you can make a huge amount at once and eat it for lunch (or dinner) all week. It also eliminates the temptation of hitting a drive-thru on the way home from work if you know you’ve already got a prepared meal waiting for you.
I’ve modified my mom’s recipe—out with the cream, ham and butter—to make it more calorie friendly, but it’s still one of my favorite soups to sit down to at the dinner table.
Ingredients:
2 cups dried lentils
2 medium onions (finely chopped)
4 celery stalks (finely chopped)
4 carrots (shredded)
10 cups low sodium beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat oil (or a small amount of water) in a large pot.
2. Sauté the onion, celery and carrot until softened (if using water instead of oil you may need to add more as you sauté).
3. Stir in the broth, add lentils and bring to a boil.
4. Lower heat to simmer. Cover cook for 1 hour or until lentils are easily mashed.
5. Puree half of the mixture, using a food processor or blender. Return all of the soup to the saucepan.
6. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.