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
- Warm oil in very deep soup pot (e.g. 8 litres capacity) and sauté onions until soft.
- 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.
- Add potato cubes and continue cooking for approximately 10 minutes.
- 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.
- 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