mardi 11 juin 2019

How To Make Easy Lentil Soup

By Sandra Anderson


Very little is more satisfying than sitting down to a steaming hot bowl of great soup and salad. Most people tend to buy them premade at the store in a can. These are fine but not nearly as healthy or flavorful as making it from scratch. If you make it yourself, you can control the ingredients and know what you are getting. Learning to make easy lentil soup is one way to get a great meal without a ton of effort in cooking extra ingredients.

Store-bought soups usually are loaded with salt and can approach the edge of unhealthy. However, if you know the ingredients, you're more likely to pick one that is much healthier. Making your own, where you prepare the ingredients from scratch, is the best way to ensure a totally healthy meal. Lentils and other beans are a great source for protein for those with digestive problems and vegans or vegetarians who need a non-meat source of protein.

Soaking lentils is not necessary before cooking. This issue is one of the most asked about them. Many different types of beans do require being pre-soaked in order to be soft enough to eat because typical cooking time will not soften them and will overcook the other ingredients in the stew. If you want them to be more easily digested, you can feel free to soak them. But, it is not necessary. It won't hurt them to do so.

Some prefer a thicker version while others like the vegetable soup version. It is easy to make the thicker version. You can just put the finished product into the blender. Be very careful about this since it may still be hot. It is best to let it cool a bit and make sure the lid is tight to prevent the hot liquid from splattering. Other people enjoy a thinner version where all the vegetables are still in their larger versions so they have the satisfaction of having something to bite into.

Additional ingredients are needed to build the best version. Several recipes call for chopped celery, carrots, onions, and other cut vegetables. You will also want to include spices like basil, oregano, and a bay leaf to get some great flavors going. Stewed or diced tomatoes add great flavor and texture to the mix. Spinach is also a great addition. You will want to use freshly washed spinach, not the frozen kind that is cooked in vinegar.

Blending is an option. Some may want to gently use an immersion blender, but the better option is using the kind with a lid to avoid burns from splattering hot liquid. Blending gives you a nice thick version that is great for dipping grilled cheese sandwiches into. The lighter, non-blended version is great with oyster crackers or other bread to dip.

Side dishes enhance any meal. Soups go great with a nice, crispy fresh salad. Some will enjoy being able to dip Naan bread or cornbread into the dish. Crackers help thicken it and add a slight salt flavoring.

Any weather is great for making soups. They are healthy, filling, and make a great meal by themselves. Adding in a fresh salad or homemade honey cornbread will really make it special. This is something that kids and adults enjoy and making it from scratch helps to make it as healthy as possible.




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