JULIANE GOICOECHEA, MS, RDN, LDN

Not sure what to do with those dried lentils in your pantry? Make soup! Lentils are high in protein and fiber and are a low glycemic-load food despite their higher carbohydrate content. They are also inexpensive. I used a combo of red and green lentils (what I had in the pantry) for this batch. This is an easy way to get lots of immunosupportive phytonutrients in one pot! Enjoy!

Easy Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 # lentils

9 C liquid (homemade stock or water or some combo thereof)

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 ribs of celery, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, whole

1-2 C diced tomatoes

5 oz fresh spinach

Olive oil (or fat of choice like ghee or butter or another preferred oil) - enough to liberally coat bottom of soup pot

Added salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute onion in olive oil a few minutes and lightly salt to sweat the onions. Add carrot, celery and garlic; saute a few minutes to let them soften. Stir in the can of tomato paste. Add lentils and liquid and bring to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are tender. Add the fresh spinach and stir it in to until wilted. Add salt/pepper to taste and serve.