Thanksgiving Leftover Lentil Soup
My son Roan's lentil soup recipe is full of flavor. He adds a can of tomato paste, lots of fresh garlic and herbs and balances it in the end with lemon zest and the lemon juice until you have the perfect bowl of lentil soup. It's hearty enough on it's own or dipped with your favorite savory loaf of bread. This soup is great as a day-after-Thanksgiving meal. You can substitute the chicken stock with leftover turkey stock or make it part of your Thanksgiving feast like our family does! Either way this recipe is bound to become part if your family tradition like has become part of ours. Enjoy!
Servings: 6
Calories: 320kcal
Cost: $8
Equipment
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 3 carrots medium, chopped
- 1-2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 onion diced
- pinch salt to taste
- pinch pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 cups brown lentils dried
- 4 cups turkey stock (vegetable or chicken stock may be substituted)
- 4 cups water
- 7 sprigs thyme leaves stripped
- 1/2 tsp oregano dried
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes crushed
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3 or 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh, (juice of 1/2 a lemon)
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley chopped, extra for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse and sort lentils.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add chopped carrots, onions and celery and 1 tsp. salt. (The salt helps break down the vegetables.)
- Heat until onions are caramelized, about 8-10 min.
- Stir in tomato paste and garlic
- Cook another couple minutes.
- Add lentils, stock, 4 cups of water and all spices.
- Next add lemon zest and generous amount of salt and pepper to taste.
- Boil stock, stir and cover.
- Cook lentils and simmer for about 25-30 minutes.
Blending the soup
- Remove bay leaves.
- Use an immersion blender to blend some of the lentils until creamy. Not too much. You want some of the lentils to retain their full shape to give texture to the soup.
- If you don't have an immersion blender you can also do this with a food processor or regular blender.
- Remove about 2 1/2 cups and place into food processor or blender. Puree.
- Be sure to keep a vent open on top to allow steam to escape.
- Return blended soup to the rest of the pot.
Final steps
- Add lemon juice and parsley
- Serve into bowls.
- Garnish with more parsley.
Notes
This lentil soup recipe is quick to prepare, packed with flavor and super healthy!
This is the perfect soup for the day after Thanksgiving or make it part of your Thanksgiving feast. No matter when you eat it you will benefit from all the protein and fiber that lentils provide, & you won't have to compromise on taste!
Most food is wonderful fresh, which of course this soup is, but some say it's even better the next day when the flavors have had even longer to blend together. It's definitely a winner saved in the fridge and heated up all week long!
I can't come up with anything bad to say about this recipe except...it's always disappearing too quickly!
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 858mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5718IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 5mg