When a soup gets a little thick, but it’s not quite a stew, it’s a “stoup.” This Veggie Lentil Soup Stoup was thick, extremely flavorful, and healthy!
I get so much inspiration from my friend Rosemary at An Italian in My Kitchen. She’s Canadian, married an Italian, and lives in Italy. Our lifestyles are nothing alike, but we have a great food blogger friendship. I hope some day to meet her! As soon as she posted her Italian Lentil Soup, I knew I needed to make it. And, oh my gosh, you need to head over to her site. Besides her inspirational lentil soup, she posted a picture of her mother-in-law, sitting outdoors picking olives. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that one truly is!!
I had just about everything I needed to make a variation of her soup, except for the lentils. A quick run to the store for some lentils and zucchini and I was home pulling out my grandma’s big soup pot. Ok, it wasn’t really a quick run to the store, to be 100% honest, I got a little detoured. I stopped at Starbucks, picked up a few Christmas ornaments (70% off) at one of my favorite little boutiques, and got a pedicure. Fortunately this is a really quick cooking meal, but with a flavor of a soup that has simmered all day.
I used chicken broth, since it’s what I had in my pantry, but by switching to veggie broth, you’ve got yourself a healthy, delicious, and hearty vegetarian meal.
And, since you’ve enjoyed such a healthy meal, how about heading over to An Italian in my Kitchen and choose a dessert recipe? Check out her delicious Yogurt Cake or maybe her Italian Fresh Cream Lemon Cake.
Veggie Lentil Stoup
Ingredients
- 1 # dried lentils
- 1 med/large white sweet potato peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 med yellow onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 2 zucchini sliced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 5 oz bag baby spinach
- 4 cups organic chicken broth or veggie broth I used Trader Joes.
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- Grated parmesan cheese optional for topping
Instructions
- Soak dried lentils in luke warm water for 20-30 minutes.
- While beans are soaking, prep all veggies (potato, carrot, onion, celery, zucchini, and garlic)
- In large soup pot, heat olive oil over med heat. Add onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Add all other veggies and cook, stirring occasionally until they just start to become tender (about 10 minutes).
- Drain and rinse beans. Add to soup pot.
- Add broth, water, and spices. Increase heat to high and bring to boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes.
- When soup is finished cooking, add in baby spinach.
- Optional: serve with a topping of parmesan cheese
This is so my kind of soup filled to the brim with veggies and with some bite to it. I do far prefer a broth style to a smooth soup. Just perfect for these cold winter days.
Our cold winter days aren’t so cold here in CA, but this soup is still a delicious warm comforting meal.
It seems like a great blogging friendship! The lentil soup looks so tasty!
It really is. I admire everything about Rosemary!
We love lentils! This soup is perfect for this time of the year, especially after hours shoveling snow. Bookmarking to try soon.
It will be a great meal for a snowy day!
haha.. I love Stoups.. that’s the way lentils and pigeon peas need to be… just “food” and hardly any liquid
I love all soups, but “stoups” are such a comfort meal. Hot, thick, and full of flavor.
Such a hearty soup packed with lots of veggies and flavours!! It looks delicious & perfect for Winter 😀
While caring for my granddaughter today I made this soup for my vegetarian daughter and her husband. It was simple enough to prepare while chasing after a busy 10 month old, and what a fabulously aromatic and tasty meal to have waiting at the end of a long workday. This is a recipe I’ll return to again and again. Thank you Renee!