This Spicy Lentil Soup, with it’s lovely Indian flare, is one of our favorite soups of all-time. It is incredibly different and flavorful despite being meatless. The ingredients list is pretty short, and the active time is about 15 minutes. As if that isn’t enough to tempt you, it boasts 369 calories per serving, which is pretty darn wonderful. You’re using nutrient-rich red lentils here, plus a few really fun ingredients like a serrano chile, ginger and turmeric – all amazing ingredients to feed your family. Topping with greek yogurt and cilantro offer a couple more layers of flavor and texture. Using grilled pita or naan as a vessel for eating it makes for a most pleasant meal. You’re going to love this spicy, light and meatless option to add to your soup repertoire.
Tips (unsponsored): We love getting our spices in the bulk section of Sprouts because we can buy just a small amount of those that we don’t use very often, as opposed to buying an entire jar that will surely expire long before we’ve used even half. Also, we recently noticed that our local Kroger store (Ralph’s here in SoCal, Fry’s in AZ) is now carrying little green boxes of spices, maybe 2 teaspoons or so of spice in a box. Brand name is “Spicely,” so keep an eye out for that as well.
We LOVE Kitchen Basics brand stocks, which you can get at most Walmart’s. This is probably the pitch on their commercial (we wouldn’t know, haven’t seen a commercial in ages), but it’s true: pour some KB chicken stock into a clear cup and some chicken broth of another brand into another cup. The KB stock is much darker than the broth because there is much more flavor in the stock, which includes vegetables. And, honestly, we buy the regular as opposed to the “reduced sodium” stock and it has never posed a problem with an end result tasting too salty.
Let your kids pluck cilantro leaves from their stems as you cook. Have them take note of the grassy smell. As you prepare and enjoy this soup with those you love, teach them about some of the health benefits they will enjoy:
- Ginger can really help keep you from feeling too gassy (tee-hee-hee).
- Turmeric has curcumin, which can help with inflammation.
- Red lentils are very high in protein – even as much as red meat. Plant-based proteins are great for you because you don’t get the saturated fats that you get with animal proteins.
Let’s learn a few things about India and it’s people:
- India is home to the smallest pigs, which only weigh 10 pounds.
- Hinduism and Buddhism, 2 of the world’s most popular religions, were founded in India.
- The 4th deadliest heat wave in the world killed many Indians in around June, 2015.
Adapted from: Spicy Lentil Soup
- 2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
- 7 cups chicken STOCK
- 1 serrano chile pepper, chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
- 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
- 1 1½ -inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- Naan or other flatbread, for serving
- Combine the lentils and 7 cups chicken STOCK in a pot, cover and bring to a boil.
- Add the chile pepper, tomato, ginger, garlic, turmeric and 2 teaspoons salt. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Stir in the cilantro.
- Blend the soup using an emersion blender, or in blender in batches.
- Thin the soup with water, if desired, and season with salt.
- Mix the yogurt with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the yogurt and more cilantro. Serve with naan.
