Recipe: Lentil and Split Pea Soup

This is one of my favorite go-to healthy recipes. I like to make a big vat of this soup, and then pack it for lunch for several days. It takes a little longer (just over an hour total) than most of my recipes since the lentils and split peas need to soak for a while, but I don’t mind since it makes several meals.

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

·         1 ½ cups lentils

·         1 cup split peas

·         1 - 2 cans (15 oz each, depending on personal taste) low sodium vegetable or chicken broth

·         ½ large yellow or white onion, diced

·         1 large bell pepper, any color, diced

·         2 cloves garlic , minced (about 2 tsp)

·         1 can diced tomatoes, partially drained (fresh works, too!)

·         3 oz canned chicken, drained (optional)

·         1 tsp Italian seasoning

·         1/8 tsp each of white pepper and cayenne pepper

·         1/8 tsp each of cinnamon and ground clove

·         1/8 tsp each of onion powder and garlic powder

·         1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1.       Put split peas and 4-5 cups water on high heat. Let it come to a boil; maintain boil for about 3 minutes, then turn off heat. Add lentils. Let sit on stove for about an hour, or until fairly tender.

2.       While your legumes are soaking, dice up all your veggies and organize your ingredients.

3.       Heat the olive oil in a big pot over medium heat. Add diced onions; let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and diced bell pepper; let them simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes, drained chicken, and your spices, then let it all simmer for a few minutes while you do the next step.

4.       Hopefully your legumes are done soaking at this point. Go ahead and mostly drain them. Using a blender or hand blender (my favorite kitchen toy!! Mine’s a Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender – Picture courtesy of Cuisinart’s website), puree about half of the legumes. I add the can of broth to make this go more smoothly.

5.       Add all your legumes (both pureed and whole) to your soup vat, stirring everything really well. If you want the soup to be a little more liquid-y (less viscous), feel free to add some more broth or water. Let everything simmer for about 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

Note: Since I like to use the leftover soup in my lunches, I should warn you that the soup gets spicier as time goes by. So if you make this soup Sunday night, you might be eating quite a different soup as leftovers for lunch on Tuesday!

Since this soup is packed with lean protein (lentils, split peas, and chicken) as well as lots of vegetables, it won’t leave you feeling hungry mid-afternoon. So satisfying and absolutely delicious, this is definitely one of my favorite feel-good recipes to date! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Thanks for reading!

Anna