Tangy Lentil Soup with Silverbeet & Zucchini

This is a delicious Lebanese version of a popular Middle Eastern brown lentil soup to serve as a main meal that even kids will love! Great for making ahead as the flavour continues to improve.  Freeze leftovers in meal sized glass containers for an easy lunch.

Ingredients


2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
500 g brown lentils, picked over for stones, washed, drained
1 tsp salt
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1 cm cubes (350 g)
1 bunch silverbeet, base trimmed, washed and shredded into 1 cm strips (600 g)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons

Method

  1. Warm oil in very deep soup pot (e.g. 8 litres capacity) and sauté onions until soft. 
  2. Add lentils, salt and 2 litres of water, cover with lid, and bring to the boil. Turn down heat slightly and simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Add potato cubes and continue cooking for approximately 10 minutes. 
  4. Add zucchini, silverbeet, garlic, pepper and 1 extra litre of boiling water and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until the green vegetables just start to soften.
  5. Stir in coriander and lemon juice and serve in bowls. Three ladles per bowl provides for a main meal serving. Serve with bread, if desired.

Serves 8

Tip
  • Add an extra half a litre of water in step four if you use a very large bunch of silverbeet.  This will also increase your serves to 10.

Per serve: energy 554 kJ (132 Cal); protein 7 g; fat 5 g; saturated fat 1 g; cholesterol 0 mg; carbohydrate 14 g; fibre 7 g; calcium 78 mg; iron 4 mg