Tomato and Lentil Soup

Creamy tomato and lentil soup takes a fan favorite and an underdog and combines them together in order to form a nutrient packed and hearty soup. Preparation Instructions provide tips on how to be more sustainable. Read until the end to find nutrition and ingredient explanation. This recipes provides you with an excellent source of fiber as well as a good source of protein and iron without any animal products. Within thirty minutes, you are ready to eat a meal that sustains you and the planet.

Roughly Chopped onions, celery, and carrots to start the mirepoix.

Ingredient	Amount	Scaled amount
Red Lentils	1/2	cup	1	cup
Olive oil	1	tbsp	2	tbsp
Onion, Diced	1/2	cup	1	cup
Celery Stalks, roughly chopped	2	—-	4	—-
Garlic cloves	2	—-	4	—-
Tomato Sauce (homemade)	1	cup	2	cup
Water For Lentils	1 1/2	Cup	3	Cup
Carrots	3	tbsp	6	tbsp
Salt	1/2	tsp	4	tsp
Bay Leaf	2	—-	4	—-
Coconut Oil	2	tbsp	4	tbsp
Parsley, stalks	2	—-	4	—-
Cilantro, stalks	2	—-	4	—-
Water for Soup	1 1/2	cup	3	cup
Pepper	1/2	tsp	1	Tsp

Preparation Instructions:

Dice onion, celery, and carrots.
In a skillet, add oil and allow to heat
Over medium heat, add onion, celery, and carrots to the hot oil and sprinkle with half the salt in the recipe.
Once vegetables appear cooked (see image), add lentils, bayleaves and water into the skillet.
Cook over medium heat covered for about 15 minutes or until lentils are tender
In a blender, place tomato sauce, coconut oil and water.
After lentils are done, place in blender
Mix on highest speed until 75% smooth
Add Remaining Salt, Pepper, Parsley, and Cilantro (with stems)
Blend Until everything is smooth and homogenous. Add more water to adjust to desired consistency.
Serve with bread from a local bakery or croutons to make it a meal!

*NOTE: Soup may need to be reheated if your blender does not have heating capabilities

Ingredient Purposes and Values:

Bayleaf, Garlic, Carrots, Onions, and Celery
- The Holy Trinity of any soup base. Carrots, onions, and celery are traditionally rendered down in butter or oil. It is used in most soup or broth base as well as some sauces and southern cooking. This technique is known as the mirepoix.
- Typically these ingredients are strained out, but for the sake of minimizing our waste, we will keep them in the recipe.
- Keep a container for kitchen scraps for your compost in this step!
Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Sauce is one of those ingredients where you may not use the whole jar. It also stores well in large batches whether refrigerated, canned, or frozen.
- As a pantry staple, tomato sauce can be used on more than just pasta to bring acid and round out or compliment flavors in the dish
Red Lentils
- Nutritional Powerhouse. Packed with protein, fiber, and iron – lentils are a cost effective way to get more nutrients in the diet.
- Red lentils have a great sustainability story. Lentils are nitrogen fixing so they help contribute to soil health and are nutrient dense.
Coconut oil
- Coconut oil is a great way to replace the velvety texture you would normally get from butter, but in plant based form. Being a plant based fat, coming in solid form is highly desirable to get a super smooth texture
- Coconut is not considered a “sustainable” ingredient because of it’s food miles, but works in this recipe to maintain whole food plant based status
  (see other post about Food Miles)
Parsley, Cilantro, and Pepper
- Parsley and cilantro are leafy green herbs that help add flavor to any dish. Use the stems and leaves to maximize flavor. (see images below)
- Make sure to add these near the end of the cooking process in order to capture the most amount of flavor.
- Pepper adds a touch of heat. Feel free to add as much as you’d like. Fresh cracked is always top choice.
Salt
- Salt has a few purposes in every dish.
- In the mirepoix, the salt helps break down the vegetables and release water to help them break down.
- In the soup, the salt enhances the flavor of the tomato and elevates your dish

This recipe has great nutritional content and is made with sustainable ingredients.

Each Serving has 9g of fiber and 13g of protein. Total sugars are not added sugars, but naturally derived from carrots, tomatoes, and other vegetables in the recipe. This recipe has a low glycemic impact and will fill you up!