There are some nights when the key to getting dinner on the table is simplicity. We have places to go etc, and something like a thick soup/stew is perfect. Last night was such a night. I still wanted to make it very healthy since it was the only course. I use an immersion blender on my stew so that my little guy will eat it, if you plan to do the same, don’t worry about how big your pieces of veggies are. If you are not blending, then cut them smaller. Shout out to my friend Chef AJ, I was inspired by her nutrient dense black bean soup for this creation.
- 4 celery stalks – chopped
- 1.5 yellow onions – chopped
- 2 red potatoes – chopped
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped ( no need to peel if organic)
- 1 cup of mixed autumn lentils (any variety will do)
- 6 sprigs of parsley – chopped
- 3 sprigs of thyme – chopped
- 1 sprig of rosemary – chopped
- 4 leaves of sage – chopped
- 12 ounces of mixed greens (collards, mustard,kale etc)
- enough vegetable soup stock to cover the veggies
- salt to taste
I picked up a container of Trader Joe’s stuffing starter which has the onions and celery as well as the chopped veggies. I did find the exact amounts on their website, so you can easily recreate this if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s. They did all the work though, and made it easier on me.
Water saute the onion/celery/herb mix in a large soup pot for about 5 minutes. Add in the potatoes and lentils and cover with enough water or vegetable soup stock so that everything is submerged. (I like the Wellness Forum “Not Chicken Soup” mix, I add in a tablespoon for each cup of water). I used my pressure cooker, and brought the soup to high pressure, and kept it there for 10 minutes. I let the pressure release naturally. I would guess you could cook for 40 minutes on the stove if you don’t have a pressure cooker, but I’d still cover the soup while cooking. Once the pressure was down, I added in the greens and stirred them into the soup. I brought back to high pressure, cooked for 2 minutes, and again let it release naturally. When it was cool enough to open the lid, I used the immersion blender
This was a big hit with my little guy who declared that he didn’t like it, he loved it! It was thick enough that he was even able to eat it by himself without wearing any, except for a soup mustache.