Mexican lentil soup

489

TOTAL TIME

1 h 15 min

Makes

8 to 10 servings

* PLUS Cooking time: 40 minutes
Mexican lentil soup

Roberto Caruso

High in protein and fibre and under 200 calories. Hearty and delicious.

Ingredients

  • 400-g bag red or green lentils
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 red or green bell peppers
  • 4 carrots
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 3 jalapenos
  • 4 large garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth , or bouillon
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Wash lentils in a sieve, discarding any twigs and stones. Finely chop onion. Cut red peppers in half, remove seeds and chop into 1/4-inch (0.5-cm) pieces. Peel carrots. Chop carrots and celery into 1/4-inch (0.5-cm) pieces. Core and seed jalapeños, then mince along with garlic.
  • Heat oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add onion, red peppers, carrots, celery, jalapeños and garlic. Stir-fry until vegetables are slightly soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in lentils, broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender, from 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add more salt and seasonings, if needed.
  • For a heartier consistency, remove about one-quarter of soup and place in bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Whirl until mixture is puréed. You may need to add a little water if mixture is too thick. Stir purée back into soup. Serve hot with a crusty baguette. Soup will keep well, covered, in the refrigerator up to 3 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.

4 ways to blend and puree soup

Nutrition (per serving)

  • Calories
  • 176,
  • Protein
  • 12.9 g,
  • Carbohydrates
  • 26.3 g,
  • Fat
  • 2.7 g,
  • Fibre
  • 5.6 g,
  • Sodium
  • 741 mg.

Earthy cumin, hot peppers and a heap of seasonings give a heady boost to this soup that’s hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian entrée.

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