Recipe

Thick Lentil Soup with Quinoa and Spinach

Thick Lentil Soup with Quinoa and Spinach

Photo by Cordelia

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe for Beans
    This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Lentils
  • Chef

    Cordelia's Notes: A thicker version for a great lentil soups, that makes it really rich, healthy and great for one pot dinner great for a cold weather. Quinoa is much better for you than noodles. Just add green...

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Serves 4-6

1 cup of black French lentils (you can use also regular green ones, though the black get less mushy) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup quinoa Ask a question about this ingredient

1 bunch of fresh spinach (about 3 cups or about half a package of frozen spinach, thawed) Ask a question about this ingredient

2 small onions cut to small dice Ask a question about this ingredient

4 medium carrots cut to small dice Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cloves of garlic Ask a question about this ingredient

3 tablespoons of olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon of ground cumin Ask a question about this ingredient

Juice from half a lemon Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups chicken broth Ask a question about this ingredient

4 cups of water Ask a question about this ingredient

Salt and pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

  1. Put the onion in a big pot with the olive oil and a bit of salt on medium low heat and sweat for about 10 minutes without browning.

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  2. Add the carrots and sauté for another 10 minutes. The veggies should become soft and sweet.

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  3. Add garlic, cumin and lentils and sauté for a minute while mixing.

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  4. Add the broth and the water, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes. Add the quinoa and salt and pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for another 15 minutes until the quinoa is soft and kind of translucent. Check from time to time if the soup looks to think for your liking you can add 1/2 cup of water (though it suppose to be a thick soup, like a stew).

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  5. Lightly chop the spinach if you're not using baby spinach. Add to the pot and cook for few more minutes and take off the heat and add the lemon and taste for salt and pepper, add if necessary.

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  6. You can serve with a drizzle of good sharp olive oil and Parmesan.

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5 Comments on Thick Lentil Soup with Quinoa and Spinach

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Made this for lunch today, and it was hard to stop eating after one bowl. This is so simple to make and absolutely delicious. I had some bell pepper--half each of red and green--that I diced and added with the carrots. And I used a combo of chicken, beef, and vegetable broth, because I had partial boxes of all three in the frig. I think all broth is the way to go, whatever kind you choose.

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Beautifully delicious! I substituted kale for the spinach. The only problem was that it was so good, it didn't yield enough for leftovers!

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W-O-W! Thanks for this recipe, it's fast and so healthy and filling! Just a little caution- cooked spinach is not synonymous with fresh greens, fresh stuff retains a super important cocktail of vitamins and enzymes lost in cooking

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At times more like a stew, can serve as a wonderful side-dish.

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Excellent recipe. Simple but with deep lasting tastes

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