Green Lentil Potato Soup
A hearty and rustic lentil potato soup made with your choice of green or French Puy lentils flavored with woodsy herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme and bay. A truly satisfying meal to step into fall with. Very demure, very French, very Mediterranean.
Servings 6 people
Calories 260kcal
Ingredients
- 1 small leek (or 1 yellow onion)
- 1 carrot peeled + diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1.5 cups green / Puy Lentils (picked through and rinsed well)
- 2 cups small diced gold potatoes
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 6-7 cups water
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme (about 1/2 bunch fresh or 2 tsp dry)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig sage (optional but nice depth of flavor)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 Tbsp shoyu or tamari (in lieu of salt)
- 1/3 cup Italian flat leaf parsley minced
Instructions
- Clean the leek: Slice the leek into rounds and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Agitate the water to make sure the leeks get cleaned really well the let them soak for 5 minutes for any sand and grit to sink to the bottom of the bowl. Prepare a clean lint free tea towel and using a spider ladle or your hands scoop out the clean leeks and place them on top pf the towel then pat dry (they should all be floating on top of the water by now).1 small leek
- Preheat your heavy bottom soup pot over medium heat. Add a light drizzle of olive oil and sauté the leeks, carrot and celery until fully softened and they begin to get some nice golden brown color around the edges and brown bits on the bottom of the pan. (Turn up the heat a little bit if need be but keep a close eye on the aromatics so nothing burns).1 carrot, 1 celery stalk
- Push the veggies to the side of the pot and add another drop of olive oil in the center then drop in the minced garlic. Sizzle for about a minute until fragrant then give everything a good stir.2 garlic cloves
- Add the splash of white wine if using and with a flat end wooden spoon scrape any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Reduce until almost evaporated then add the lentils, herbs, water, shoyu and bring to a boil. Partially cover with a lid and adjust your heat to medium low so that there’s a constant simmer all throughout the pot.1.5 cups green / Puy Lentils, 1/4 cup dry white wine, 8 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 sprig rosemary, 1 sprig sage, 1 bay leaf, 3 Tbsp shoyu or tamari, 6-7 cups water
- Cook the soup for 20 minutes then add the potatoes. Bring the pot back to a gentle boil and cook another 20 to 25 minutes until both the lentils and potatoes have cooked through. (Stir often during the final stage of cooking to make sure no lentils stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.)2 cups small diced gold potatoes
- Adjust seasonings to taste with salt and pepper and discard the herb sprigs. Serve garnished with the parsley and crusty bread or bruschetta.1/3 cup Italian flat leaf parsley
Video
Notes
- Texture Note- For a creamier stew rather than rustic soup texture simply transfer between 1/4 and 1/3 of the soup to a blender and puree until silky smooth. Stir back into the rest of the soup until combined.
- Add Ins - Although already a very hearty soup you can always boost the micronutrient profile by wilting in a couple of handfuls of baby spinach, kale or chard. Adding cooked mushrooms and some grains like barley, farro or quinoa could be really nice variations on the basic recipe.
- Leeks - Fabulous aromatics that hold up perfectly to a slow cooked stew. Clean them well by immersing them in a bowl of cold water after slicing, agitate the water and allow all the dirt and sand to sink to the bottom of the bowl. The clean leeks will then float to the top and you can easily scoop them out with your hands or a spider ladle.
Nutrition
Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 925mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2319IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 5mg