Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup red or green lentils, rinsed
  • 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into ½ inch pieces
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 2 cups fresh spinach or kale, chopped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Heat the olive oil. Set your large Dutch oven over medium heat. Let the oil shimmer but not smoke. Note: This ensures the vegetables sear rather than soak up oil.
  2. Sauté the aromatics. Toss in the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent and the carrots have softened.
  3. Bloom the paste. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes until the paste turns a deep brick red. This is where the depth comes from.
  4. Add the core. Pour in the rinsed lentils, cubed potatoes, vegetable broth, dried thyme, smoked paprika, and ground cumin. Give it a good stir to make sure no lentils are sticking to the bottom.
  5. Simmer. Bring the pot to a boil, then drop the heat to low. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes until the lentils and potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
  6. The partial blend. Use your immersion blender to blend about 25% of the soup. Do this in short bursts until the broth looks velvety but you still see chunks of vegetables.
  7. The fresh finish. Stir in the chopped spinach (or kale) and lemon juice.
  8. Season and serve. Add the sea salt and black pepper. Heat through for 1-2 minutes until the spinach is wilted.