This soup is sooooo good. Like, sooooooo good. Like almost everything I make, this is more a guideline than an actual recipe, but I was asked for this, so here goes!
You need:
- olive or coconut oil
- garlic
- turmeric
- basil
- oregano
- bay leaf or two
- 1 small onion, whichever color you like, chopped
- a couple of carrots, cut up (I only wash the carrots and don’t peel them for soups)
- a few celery stalks, cut up
- veggie broth or veggie bouillon*
- a big potato or a few small ones, cut up into bite-sized chunks
- 1 bag of green lentils
- 1 can of coconut milk (the fat level is completely up to you)
- salt and pepper to taste
I love to use a dutch oven for this soup, but any soup pot you like will do.
- Heat a few tablespoons of olive or coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook until everything is browned and the kitchen smells delightful.
- Add 1 tsp each of turmeric, basil, and oregano.
- Add veggie broth or water/veggie bouillon combo, enough so you’ll have a goodly-sized pot of soup, stirring as you add the liquid. For us, it’s usually 48-oz or so of liquid. Add some salt and pepper to taste (I generally start with 1/2 tsp or so, because you can always add more but you can never take salt away). ALSO, if your broth or bouillon is salty, you might not need to add any extra salt. For instance, the Better Than Bouillon brand stuff is very very salty, so both go slow on how much you use, and be careful about adding more salt. *Also, with the Better Than Bouillon, I generally do NOT follow their bouillon-to-water ratio; I add less bouillon than they call for. Like, a teaspoon at a time into the pot with water…
- Toss a bay leaf or two in the pot.
- Add bag of lentils and bring to a boil.
- Once it’s boiling, you can lower heat to a simmer and add the potatoes. Taste to see if you need more seasoning; you can add a bit more of everything, including basil, oregano, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the lentils and potatoes are cooked.
- Add the can of coconut milk in and stir well. Take out & toss the bay leaves and eat the heck out of the soup.