Moroccan Lentil Soup

This is one of my favorite soups. It’s easy to put together, it tastes like more than the sum of its parts, and it’s super healthy. If I have homemade bone broth, I’ll use some in this soup for an added nutrient boost. Sometimes I use half bone broth and half water. The rest of the time I use 100% water and that’s delicious as well.

Lentils are amazing. High in both fiber and protein, they’re a wonderful meat alternative and they also nourish our microbiota and help balance blood sugar. They are high in B-vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium, among other things.

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Moroccan Lentil Soup
Adapted from the Moroccan Lentil and Cabbage Soup in the Nourishing Meals cookbook by Alissa Segersten & Tom Malterre (one of my favorites!)

Notes: If gluten is a problem for you, then be sure to pick through your lentils to remove any wheat berries. Every once in a while I will find a little pebble in there too. Don’t forget to rinse afterwards. The cabbage may seem like a lot, but it cooks down. It gives everything more of a stew consistency. If you don’t have it, you can definitely go without and it will still be wonderful.

Recipe updated 1/1/2023

Good plug of olive oil
2 cups French green lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 medium / large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 large or 4-5 small / medium carrots, diced
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
10 cups bone broth, vegetable broth or water (or combination)
1 medium head savoy cabbage, shredded
Sea salt to taste

To serve:
Avocado, sliced or mashed with a bit of sea salt
Chopped cilantro
Or nothing… it’s perfect on its own!

Pour a glug of olive oil into a large stockpot over medium heat and add the onion. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute more, then add the celery and carrots and let it all cook and soften for a few more minutes.

Next come the spices - add them to the pot and stir. Quickly drop in the lentils and the broth/water and bring the pot to high heat.

Once the soup comes to a gentle boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

Shred the cabbage towards the end of the cooking time. When the lentils are done cooking, leave the heat on for a bit longer while you add the cabbage and let it soften in the stew. Salt to taste and enjoy!

Serves 8-10

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

Hello and happy March! I've been thinking about how I can't believe it's almost spring, and how I feel like it's a sign of established adulthood to talk about how fast time is going. It never went fast as a kid. I think about that sometimes - how my son's experience of time is so much different than my own, and how strange that is given that we spend almost all of our time together. I didn't feel like my childhood went particularly fast, but apparently my parents did.

So, to slow the passage of time, I've instituted a few countermeasures.  First, I'm trying not to take on too much. I don't like going through my days rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off, constantly thinking about what needs to be done next. Second, every year I make a wall calendar with favorite family pictures and I'm making it a point each month, preferably each day, to really appreciate the pictures up there. Third, the kitchen. I've found that when I don't cook very much for a few days in a row, I initially enjoy the break, but after a short while I just don't feel like myself. I'm this way with yoga too. I certainly didn't expect this, but for the last couple years I really feel compelled to cook and create in the kitchen. And there's something about doing what feels right for you that makes time pass as it should.

Anyways - this soup. When I first made it I didn't expect too much. It was kind-of an experiment to both simplify an existing butternut squash soup recipe as well as use some homemade chicken broth. But it turned out fantastic and instantly became a favorite. My son loves it, which helps, because I don't like to make him separate food for dinner and I also, equally, don't like constant discussions about how this is the time to fill our bellies because there won't be any snacks or treats later if we don't eat our dinner. (I haven't yet mastered the art of serving dinner, letting him eat or not eat, and being OK with whatever happens. Why do you think I practice so much yoga these days? ;)

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Simple Butternut Squash Soup

Simplified, a lot, from this recipe published in the LA Times two years ago. 

Notes: Homemade broth gives you a huge boost in flavor and nutrition here, particularly since this soup is so simple. If you have any inclination to make it, do it! You'll be glad you did. Also, go slowly with the salt and the apple cider vinegar at the end. The amount really depend on what your broth tastes like as well as your own preferences. For salt, go 1/2 teaspoon at a time. For the vinegar, I start with 1/2 tablespoon and go from there.

Recipe updated 1/16/2018.

Special equipment:
Standard blender or immersion blender

2.5-3 lb butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into 1-inch squares
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (depending on the size of your squash)
Sea salt to taste (usually about 2 teaspoons but it all depends on how salty your broth is)
Apple cider vinegar to taste (between 1/2 and 1 1/2 tablespoons depending on broth and preference)

In a large stockpot, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes, still stirring.

Add the chopped butternut squash and broth/water to just cover the squash, then bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until the squash is tender.

Puree the soup completely with a immersion blender. (Alternatively, you could put batches of it into a regular blender) and season to taste with sea salt and apple cider vinegar.

Serve with any kind of microgreens or other small greens and toasted slivered almonds.

Serves 6