Lentil soup, full of flavor, with the brightness of lemon and plenty of garlic to warm your soul and cure what ails ya.
I apologize for my brief absence, Friends. After a whirlwind road trip that took us across the state and back again, we have landed in a place where only the hustle and bustle of being on the road can take us–a place where various forms of The Ick have settled in. The majority of my family has a touch of this bug, or that virus, or generally isn’t feeling one hundred percent themselves since the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Ick happens every year at this time. I could probably set my watch to it, or at the very least mark it on the calendar so that I remember to plan around it. We (Read: I) tend to run full-steam-ahead at 80 m.p.h., until one day, we don’t. Our bodies have a habit of making us slow down, whether or not Slowing Down is marked on the calendar or not.
So when The Ick settles in, forcing us to slow down, we tend to snuggle under blankets by the fire, sip chamomile tea with honey, and read chapters of our favorite books aloud.
Slowing down is not without benefits. Slowing down allows time to reflect on what truly matters, and of course, slowing down can beget clarity and perspective.
Amidst the snuggling, napping, and reading I sneak away to make Lemony Garlic Lentil Soup with Feta cheese. There’s just something about a hot bowl of soup that cures what ails ya. Soup is good for the soul. I find soup to be very medicinal–especially when that soup is loaded with nutritious lentils, tons of garlic, a tang of lemon, and a healthy handful of feta cheese. After a enjoying hot bowl of soup, everyone feels a little more like themselves…at least for a little while.
I can’t promise that Lemony Garlic Feta Soup will cure whatever affliction ails you. What I can tell you is that if you’re like me, and if you slow down long enough to relax and enjoy a steamy bowl of soup, doing so may just help clarify what is truly important during what can be a chaotic time of year.
♥♥♥
Garlic Lentil Soup with Lemon and Feta
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 6
A flavorful lentil soup with the brightness of lemon and plenty of garlic to warm your soul and cure what ails ya.
20 minPrep Time
40 minCook Time
1 hrTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 Tbs. light olive oil
- 1 C. onion, finely minced
- ¾ C. carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (Yes, really!)
- 1 ½ tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 ½ tsp. dried oregano, crushed
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 8 C. (2 qts.) low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 C. dried red lentils
- ¼ C. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tsp. feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven set over medium heat until hot. Plunk the onions and carrots into the hot oil, cook and stir occasionally until they begin to soften. (About 3 to 5 minutes.) Add the garlic, rosemary, oregano, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and the bay leaf. Stir the spices continuously over the heat for one minute to toast them and bring out the flavor.
- Pour the chicken stock and lentils into the pot; stir well. Increase the heat to medium high to bring soup mixture to a boil. Once the soup boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer until lentils are very soft; stirring periodically to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. (About 30 minutes.)
- Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and simmer the soup for an additional minute. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon of crumbled feta.
Comments