Lentil and spinach soup

Written by Catherine Saxelby on Friday, 17 July 2009.

Ready In: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Here's a hearty soup that's low in fat but high in fibre and flavour. Of all the legumes, lentils are the most convenient, requiring no pre-soaking overnight and no long hours of cooking.

Read how soup can help your diet efforts:
Read one of my favourite published articles - why a bowl of soup has emerged as a fat-fighting food. Given soup's high water and fibre content, it's not surprising that soup has a high satiety (satisfaction value) yet is low in kilojoule-density. This means it only packs in few kilojoules/calories into a given volume. Interesting!

Find out why I classify spinach as a super food and its great nutrition profile here

Ingredients

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups (375 g) red lentils
2 litres reduced salt chicken stock
1 cup finely chopped spinach leaves (about 1/2 bunch)

Nutrition per serve

823 kilojoules (197 Calories), 6 g fat (including 1 g saturated fat), 22 g carbohydrate (including 3 g sugars), 7 g fibre and 530 mg sodium. Read our nutrition rating system.

Directions

1. Heat oil in large saucepan. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion is soft. Add spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.

2. Add lentils, stir to combine. Add stock and bring to the boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft and soup has thickened.

3. Add spinach, stir over heat until warmed through.

Variations

If you prefer a smoother soup, blend or process soup in batches until smooth once cooked. Return soup to the pan, add spinach and reheat.
If you love spicy fare, you can boost this recipe with extra chopped fresh chilli or a splash of chilli sauce before serving.
If you don't have the cumin, tumeric and coriander, simply substitute 1 tablespoon of your favourite curry powder or 2 tablespoons of curry paste.