Curried Red Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Greens

Adding toothsome seasonal greens and beta-carotene-rich sweet potatoes to lentils is such a clever idea. If you’re looking for a perfect autumn one-pot meal, this may be it: Colorful and deeply nourishing with lots of flavors and textures to keep the palate happy.

Including some warming spices in our diets is a good idea when the autumn air turns chilly; Curried Red Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Greens will help to keep your body healthy.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils, rinsed and sorted
2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder, more or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 to 8 ounces Swiss chard or spinach
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
Salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the water, followed by the lentils, sweet potatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently until the lentils are mushy and the potatoes are done, about 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, wash the greens, remove stems and midribs, then slice into narrow shreds. Stir into the soup along with the lemon juice. If the soup is too thick, adjust the consistency with a small amount of water.

3. Continue to simmer gently until the greens are just done, about 5 minutes for spinach and 10 to 15 minutes for chard. Season with salt. Serve at once, or if time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or two. Heat through before serving.

Serves 6.

Adapted from Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons, by Nava Atlas (Amberwood Press, 2006). Copyright (c) 2006 by Nava Atlas. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Adapted from Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons, by Nava Atlas (Amberwood Press, 2006).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Michele W.

2:06PM PDT on May 10, 2012

Thank you

send a green star

J.L. A.

9:16AM PDT on Apr 7, 2012

yum

7:14AM PST on Feb 26, 2012

sounds yummy--and might even help with respiratory allergy symptoms!

Jennifer C.

5:28PM PST on Dec 13, 2011

Yummy! Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Mervi R.

5:20PM PDT on Oct 8, 2010

Excellent, I love using red lentils!

Sylvia W.

12:42PM PST on Dec 27, 2009

Oh yum! I'm going to try this with some lovely kale I happen to have handy ;-)

Amy L.

3:33PM PDT on Apr 9, 2008

I loved the thick texture and delicious taste! I was skeptical because it called for water and not broth but it was plenty flavorful!

Victoria P.

11:56AM PDT on Apr 3, 2008

I've found that combining sweet potatoes with red lentils is a great idea - nutrition wise, flavor-wise, even color-wise, and adding the greens provides additional benefits.
One recommendation though, - the soup tastes good without using quite so many flavoring ingredients. Something to keep in mind, for those of us on tight budgets, who don't necessarily have all of those spices in our cupboards on a particular day.

Eric R.

11:18AM PDT on Apr 3, 2008

I can't wait to try this!

Anne C.

4:03PM PST on Feb 10, 2008

Just delicious and so nutritious.
This is in my recipe file now.
Had to add almost 2 cups of water to the final product.