Welcome back from the season of self-indulgence. Resolutions or not, many of us are ready to run from the sweets and toward anything green or healthy. Have I got just the thing for you!
This soup has a delicious smoky flavor, mild enough for young palates and complex enough for grown-ups. It is full of veggies and can can be made vegan by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I was inspired by a delicious recipe I saw on Cookin’ Canuck a while back, and adapted the recipe to suit my own tastes. I used fire-roasted tomatoes, a bit of chili powder, a pinch of cumin, and cilantro. It was delicious!
If you’ve never bought lentils before, the packaging varies brand to brand–some call them brown lentils, others call them green. I purchased brown-colored lentils that were labeled “green lentils.” You’re not necessarily looking for French green lentils, you just don’t want red/orange lentils. Make sense?
This soup freezes well and is smashing with a hot grilled sandwich alongside it. Happy New Year! May the anti-gluttony begin!
Smoky Black Bean and Lentil Soup
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- pinch cumin
- 1 (14.5oz) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1c brown or green lentils (not red)
- 4c vegetable or chicken broth*
- 3c water
- 1 (14.5oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4c cilantro
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Heat oil over medium heat, then add onion and celery. Cook, over medium heat about 5-6 minutes, or until veggies are beginning to soften. Add garlic, smoked paprika, chili powder, pinch of cumin, and a little salt and pepper and cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in tomatoes and their juices, lentils, broth, and water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 30-35 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat, stir in half of the black beans, and cool about 10 minutes.
- Transfer about half of the soup to a blender or food processor. Pulse until combined but not completely smooth. Pour mixture back into the soup pot. Stir in remaining black beans, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
*Gluten free notes: Be sure to check that your broth is gluten free. I like Pacific Naturals brand.
Adapted from Cookin’ Canuck
This looks remarkably like the perfect “anti-gluttony” meal we need around here, thanks for another wonderful soup recipe!
Hi. I finally made your honey-lime tilapia and it was the best fish dish my husband and I have ever had. Thank you so much for your blog!
Anne, thank you! I’m so glad you liked it!
Now, do you have any thoughts on getting this into the slow cooker? I love lentils but don’t have much experience with them in a slow cooker. It just sounds like it should happen. I think I might play with it tonight and let you know how it turns out! Thanks for the recipe!
Melissa- Hm… I’m actually pretty new to lentils myself. I’d love to know how it goes in the slow-cooker if you tried it!
Well I did some research. It looks like it can be done, but the times for ‘doneness’ varied TONS! It seemed a little risky to just throw them in there and wait and watch for the perfect lentil texture to appear. I opted for the normal stove top method and loved the results. I’ll play with the slow cooker later 🙂
Thank you, just cooked come lentils today and I was looking for a recipe for them. Found one!!!
Made this tonight. I found it to be too thin for my liking. I think next time I’ll try less liquid and I’ll add some red pepper flakes and a squeeze of lemon. It was super easy to make though. Not too much hands-on time, that’s my kind of weeknight recipe!
I made this. My BF and I enjoyed it very much! I like chunky soups that are more like stews, so I didn’t blend any part of it. I added a teaspoon of oregano, about a teaspoon-ish of lemon juice, a dash of cayenne instead of chili powder or cilantro( didn’t have them), and added a whole teaspoon of cumin instead of a pinch. I also added fresh carrots(2) and a small can of corn, drained. At the end, I added thinly sliced steak from last night’s leftovers. It was very tasty and filling! Had sliced French bread on the side too. Used only the broth recommended and didn’t add the additional water.
★★★★
Yum! Your additions sound delicious! Thanks for sharing and taking the time to leave a review. It means so much!