Lentil and Brown Rice Soup
Find a Conversation
| Sun, 09-23-2007 - 3:44pm |
As today is the first day of Fall, and the weather here has actually felt like Fall this weekend, I decided it was time to pull out the old soup recipes to see if any could be modified to make them beach friendly. As it turns out, my favorite lentil soup recipe needed no tweaking. I recommend the the optional sausage unless you are looking for a veg meal.
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 cup brown rice
a 32- to 35-ounce can tomatoes, drained, reserving the juice, and chopped
3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried orégano
1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 5-ounce bag spinach, torn roughly
2 tbls cider vinegar (Optional)
1 pound lowfat, smoked turkey sausage, diced (Optional)
In a heavy kettle combine all ingredients except the spinach and vinegar, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the lentils and rice are tender. Stir in the spinach, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste and discard the bay leaf. The soup will be thick and will thicken as it stands. Thin the soup, if desired, with additional hot chicken broth or water. Immediately before serving, add the spinach and vinegar, if using. Unless you are making this for a crowd, you will have lots of leftovers, which can freeze or last in the fridge for days. If you are planning for leftovers, add the spinach and a dash of vinegar to each portion just prior to serving as (unlike the rest of the soup) these ingredients do not improve with time. You also will almost certainly need to thin the soup with more broth or water upon reheating.
Makes about 14 cups, serving 6 to 8.


You know, the title of this soup sounds kind of bland and boring, but I had to check it out because I love lentils, and I was pleasantly surprised! It sounds so good! I might try it this weekend. Do you think I could cook it in a crock pot, or should I do it on the stove just to be safe?
I totally agree that it doesn't sound bland. I think I was just temporarily thrown off by the title. Lentils and brown rice don't sound all that exciting...then again, maybe it's just me. :) Either way, I still think it sounds yummy and can't wait to try it. As soon as it gets a little cooler outside. 86 is still a little warm to make such a great fall soup. I'll let you know how the crockpot works out!
Perhaps I should rename the recipe to Lentil Soup with Fresh Spinach?