Tuesday, March 17

"French" Lentil Soup

Adapted from Bon Appetit, Dec. 2006
6 generous servings
Total Price: NY $17.14
Price per serving: NY $2.86


Ingredients
  • Extra-virgin olive oil (staple)
  • 3 garlic cloves, diced (NY $ 0.59 for one head)
  • 3 medium onions, chopped (NY $1.99)
  • 5 organic celery stalks, chopped (NY $3.49)
  • a handful of baby carrots chopped (NY $ 2.00 for one bag)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (NY $ 4.99 for organic)
  • 1 ¼ cups lentils, rinsed and drained (NY $ 1.89 for one bag)
  • 1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes in juices (NY $ 2.19 for one can, organic)
  • Salt and pepper (staple)
  • Balsamic vinegar (staple)

Directions
Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, celery and carrots. Saute until vegetables start to brown (softening, but still firm), about 15 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes in juice and lentils. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer. Cook until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.

Once cooked, puree about half of soup either using a stick blender or by transferring several cups to a blender and pureeing. Return puree to pot. If desired, thin soup with a few tablespoons water. Season with a healthy splash of balsamic vinegar, several grinds of pepper, and salt to taste.

Garnish with celery leaves, serve and enjoy! Like many soups, the leftovers are even better once the flavors have a chance to meld.

Nutrition Facts
Approximate values per serving
Calories: 201 Vitamin B-6: 10.8% Manganese: 18.4%
Total fat: 7.1 g Vitamin C: 46.3% Niacin: 4.5%
Cholesterol: 0g Vitamin E: 5.8% Phosphorus: 11%
Potassium: 401.8 mg Calcium: 10.6% Riboflavin: 4.1%
Carbs: 28.9 g Copper: 8.1% Selenium: 2.7%
Fiber: 7.5 g Folate: 24.1% Thiamin: 8.4%
Protein: 5.5 g Iron: 13.5% Zinc: 5%
Vitamin A: 99 % Magnesium: 6.6%

Lentil Soup on Foodista

8 comments:

  1. More, more! Love this idea!!! :)

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  2. Thanks! Stay tuned for the next post, coming to a computer near you tomorrow night!

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  3. How did you calculate selenium content?

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  4. Re: selenium. We use an online recipe calculator to come up with the values.

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  5. I lurve everything about this. Do you accept recipe submissions? Will be happy to share the tasty budget stuff I used to make when I was *really* poor. xo Marina

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  6. Awww,you're too kind. And of COURSE we accept submissions. Just click on the "Say Hi!" link off to your right, or email us at sayhi at recessionipes dot com. (You know, using @ for at and . for dot and w.out the spaces and all that.)

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  7. why would you pay for baby carrots, which are really just big carrots whittled down & waaay more expensive, when regular carrots are cheaper? and you're putting it in a soup that you're pureeing?

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  8. D: excellent question! LBUH went off script at the grocery store and bought baby carrots this time for the leftovers, in order to throw into my brownbag* lunches for the week. Of course regular carrots work (we've used both before) but since baby carrots were what I had accurate pricing info for, that's what I reported.

    *Technically, its a reusable bag, not brown disposable paper, but you get the idea.

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