Real Food, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, IBD-AID (Phase III), Vegan, Vegetarian
During the holiday season, it’s easy to fill up on sweets and heavy sauces that lack in dietary fiber. But a diet rich in fiber is greatly beneficial to our overall health. This Quick, High Fiber, Vegetable Curry Lentil Soup is easy to throw together on a weeknight or even for lunch. It’s packed with dietary fiber and steeped in the rich, diverse flavors of curry and fresh herbs. Give this Quick, High Fiber, Vegetable Curry Lentil Soup a try when you need a warm and healthy meal on the go.
THE BENEFITS OF DIETARY FIBER
Dietary fiber is either classified as soluble or insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in water or digestion to form a gel-like substance. This type of fiber helps to lower blood glucose levels. Because it balances blood glucose, it is protective against diabetes. Soluble fiber can also lower blood cholesterol. Insoluble fiber is not broken down by the digestive process. It basically remains the same as it passes through the digestive organs. Because this type of fiber is not broken down, it produces bulk in the digestive tract and helps to move things along. Insoluble fiber is beneficial to those who struggle with constipation or stool irregularity.
A diet high in fiber helps to control one’s body weight. It will regulate the body’s signals to let you know when you’re full. Empty carbs and high sugar foods don’t communicate satiety with the body. A diet flush with fiber is also known to reduce the risk of colon cancer and breast cancer. Chewing fiber well helps to begin the digestive process.
THE VEGETABLES
I begin pretty much every soup with the same base of diced onion, minced garlic, chopped carrots, and chopped celery. For this soup, I decided to add a few ounces of tomato paste and a can of diced tomatoes. After cooking the red lentils, I also added a few handfuls of fresh, chopped kale. This soup can be catered to your vegetable preferences. As pictured, this does not include sweet potatoes, but I’ve thrown in a bag of frozen diced sweet potatoes before. The sweetness plays nicely off the savory notes in the curry. In the past, I’ve also added a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas.
Feel free to use the vegetables you enjoy. My rule of thumb is as follows: If using frozen vegetables, generally add them toward the end of your cook time…like in the last five or ten minutes. I always sauté fresh vegetables before adding other ingredients, with the exception of fresh greens, which I add at the very end. If you’d like to try a fresh vegetable (like zucchini) that cooks quickly, I would treat it like a frozen vegetable and add it toward the end of the cook time, allowing it just a few minutes to soften up completely. I try to avoid mushy vegetables. My son will devour a vegetable soup as long as the vegetables are still a bit firm. He dislikes a mushy texture.
THE SPICES AND HERBS
For this soup, I chose to punch up the flavor profile with curry powder. Whenever I cook with curry powder, I also like to include fresh ginger and a bit of red pepper flakes. That’s a combination that I’ve grown to love. I also think all soups taste better with fresh herbs. For this soup, I use fresh chopped parsley and fresh thyme. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end of cook time helps to bring vibrance to the other flavors.
COOK TIME
I can pull this soup together with just twenty minutes of prep time. Generally, a quick sauté followed by thirty-forty minutes of simmering is enough to cook everything well. Once everything is in the pot, this is a set it and forget it sort of meal. You don’t need to hover over the pot or stir continually. I like to get this going before lunch. My son and I can continue our homeschool morning and then break over a nice warm bowl of soup. I hope you enjoy this Quick, High Fiber, Vegetable Curry Lentil Soup.
Quick Note: This soup can be vegan/vegetarian if made with vegetable stock. I generally use this homemade chicken stock.
Quick, High Fiber, Vegetable Curry Lentil Soup
Notes
If you’d like to thicken this soup: After removing the stems of thyme, and before adding the chopped parsley and lemon juice, you can remove 2-3 cups of soup and blend thoroughly in the blender. Return that mixture to the soup pot and continue with finishing touches. As pictured, this step was not included. I do sometimes thicken the soup when I crave a creamier texture.
Ingredients
- Dutch oven or stock pot
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 4 ribs celery (with leaves), chopped
- 1 – 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp curry powder (I use a heaping tbsp)
- 1 in fresh ginger, grated
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 8 c chicken or vegetable stock
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 c red lentils, rinsed
- 1 pkg frozen sweet potatoes (optional)
- 1 14.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (optional)
- 2 c fresh greens, chopped (or a pkg of frozen spinach)
- handful chopped parsley
- juice of one lemon, squeezed
Instructions
- Dice the onion, chop the carrots and celery, and mince the garlic.
- Heat a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until everything begins to soften.
- Add the sea salt and white pepper while sautéing the vegetables.
- Once everything is beginning to soften, add the minced garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant…maybe 30-60 seconds.
- Add the curry powder, grated ginger, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat as necessary to avoid burning the spices.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the diced tomatoes and continue stirring.
- Slowly incorporate the chicken or vegetable stock until the mixture is well combined and there are no lumps. Add the sprigs of fresh thyme and the red lentils. If you previously reduced the heat, you can return it to medium as the liquid comes to a boil.
- Once the soup reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid for twenty-thirty minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
- Once the lentils are cooked, add any additional vegetables. I sometimes add frozen sweet potatoes and/or canned chickpeas. Frozen vegetables (like sweet potatoes) probably need ten minutes to cook and come to temperature. I always add greens, fresh or frozen. You can return the lid to the soup while cooking.
- At the end of cook time, remove the stems of thyme. Add the fresh chopped parsley and lemon juice. Serve and enjoy.
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