Detox Lentil Soup

Detox Lentil Soup is loaded with fresh veggies, dried lentils, a tasty broth, and just the right amount of seasoning. Add a few crushed up slices of bacon for an extra flavor bomb, or leave it meatless. Both healthy AND delicious!

Soup Season at our home looks like a constant rotations of flavors and textures. We love a spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup, a creamy Autumn Squash Soup, or a hearty Beef Barley Vegetable Soup on any given night of the week!

Lentil Soup

Hey 2019. How YOU doing? (fav Friends quote evah!)

So every year, we make all of these resolutions. Eat healthy, lose weight, exercise, save money, get a promotion, go to church, give back, skydive, run a marathon, and the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong. I love ALL of that. It’s just that it never works for me past a month or so. I work REAL hard for awhile, but then I taper off and get distracted by life. Because shit happens.

I’m not an expert in any one thing, but what I have learned is that slow and steady wins the race. Going cold turkey or 150% all-in usually doesn’t work for me.

Since this is a FOOD blog, I’m going to tell you what works for me when it comes to the food and diet part.

• Eat smarter and slower.
• Don’t cut out, cut down.
• Focus on flavor.
• Eat meals WITH someone.
• Make one special meal per week.

No fasting, cabbage and grapefruit diets, cutting out complete food groups, or starvation mode. Nope. None of that!

What are lentils?

Lentils are legumes, or plants that contain edible seeds, surrounded by a protective outer skin. There are 12 varieties of lentils, which vary in taste and texture. For this soup, I used brown lentils.

Nutritional Benefits of Lentils

• high in protein
• loaded with minerals, like magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
• low in fat and sugar
• fills you up, aids in digestion, makes you feel good too!

Ready to cook up some Detox Lentil Soup? YES please.

This Lentil Soup was inspired from Bread and Wine, by Shana Niequist. I recently made her lentil soup recipe from her book (which I HIGHLY recommend!), and I enjoyed it, but my guys did not. I decided to doctor it up by doing the following things.

• Added more veggies, including baby yellow potatoes, a sweet potato, and shredded cabbage.
• Used a few slices of bacon, a couple of bouillon cubes, and some red pepper flakes – for additional flavor.
• Went heavy on the olive oil for good fats and flavor.
• Skipped the diced tomatoes.

The pot was literally FULL of veggies when I started cooking them. They will reduce down some, but be aware that this recipe makes eight VERY healthy bowls of soup.

Ingredients needed for Detox Lentil Soup:

• Bacon – Ok, so this doesn’t seem detox’ish, but without flavor, we won’t enjoy those veggies. You don’t need the bacon, but this recipe includes just three slices. You do you.
• Olive Oil – A big ‘ole addition of olive oil – remember this is GOOD fats – and makes this soup absolutely delicious. Trust me.
• Veggies – Onion, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, cabbage, and garlic – for a very full pot! Load up those healthy veggies. They will cook down during the process.
• Broth – You’ll need approximately 10 cups of chicken broth. You can use the prepared broth, or use water and bouillon cubes.
• Seasonings – Just a hit of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. I always use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper!
• Lentils – I used brown lentils. Make sure you rinse and sort them for possible tiny rocks. Rocks = no bueno!

How to make Detox Lentil Soup:

1. Par cook bacon. Slice the bacon in strips, and cook in a large stock pot. Remove and crush into tiny bits. Add them back to the pot.
2. Cook veggies. Add the olive oil, all the chopped veggies, and some salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until they are softened.
3. Incorporate broth. Add the broth, and bring to a boil.
4. Add lentils. Pour in the the rinsed lentils and the red pepper flakes, and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook until they are soft, or al dente. This will take approximately 35 – 40 minutes.
5. Check seasonings. Check seasonings, and add additional salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes, if desired.

Tips for making epic Lentil Soup:

1. No need to soak lentils, but rinsing them (and sorting for debris) before using is recommended.
2. Use just a few slices of bacon to add flavor. This is optional.
3. Load it with vegetables! Any variety works, and you could add others (leeks, butternut squash, other potatoes).
4. Cook the vegetables in a healthy dose of olive oil (1/2 cup for this recipe) for extra flavor and good fats.
5. Cook the lentils until YOUR desired doneness. Some people like them al dente, but I like mine softer. You do you.

BTW, my guys enjoyed this soup, and we ate every last spoonful. 😀

Enjoy!

Please let me know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

xoxo ~Sue

Detox Lentil Soup

Detox Lentil Soup is loaded with fresh veggies, dried lentils, a tasty broth, and just the right amount of seasoning. Add a few crushed up slices of bacon for an extra flavor bomb, or leave it meatless. So healthy and delicious too!

4.83 from 17 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings: 8 large bowls

Calories: 383kcal

Ingredients

• 3 slices bacon – diced (optional)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion – chopped
• 7 whole carrots – chopped
• 7 stalks celery – chopped
• 1 large sweet potato – chopped
• 1.5 pound baby yellow potatoes – chopped
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 4 cloves garlic – minced
• 6 cups lower sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper – to taste
• 1.5 cups lentils – rinsed and sorted
• splash of balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper – to serve (optional)

Instructions

• Chop up all vegetables. Par-cook the bacon in a large stock pot (optional – you can leave the bacon out). Remove and crush it into fine crumbs. Add back to pot.
• To the stock pot, add olive oil, all the vegetables, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper – and sauté over medium-high heat for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the veggies start to soften.
• Add chicken broth, water, bouillon cubes, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
• Add lentils and additional salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, and let soup simmer for approximately 40 minutes, or until lentils are soft.
• Check seasonings, and remove from heat. Serve each bowl with some additional freshly ground black pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar (optional).

Video

Notes

1. No need to soak lentils, but rinsing them (and sorting for debris) before using is recommended.
2. Use just a few slices of bacon to add flavor. This is optional.
3. Load it with vegetables! Any variety works, and you could others (leeks, butternut squash, other potatoes).
4. You can halve the recipe easily by adjusting the serving size to four.

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 519mg | Potassium: 1027mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 425IU | Vitamin C: 20.6mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 6.2mg

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